Soccer-Battle lines drawn within FIFA as key figures break ranks with Infantino
FIFA Crisis Deepens as Infantino Faces Internal Dissent and Accusations
By Nick Mulvenney and Rohith Nair
Aug 4 (Reuters) - The crisis triggered by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino's abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup deepened on Tuesday with influential executives distancing themselves from the project while Jordan's FA president accused him of blackmail.
After three days of unprecedented civil war in the world of soccer administration last week, the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian Infantino backed away from his plan to raise $4.2 billion from a new commercial rights body late on Friday night.
Infantino apologised for how the proposal, which would have brought private investment into the World Cup for the first time, had divided the game, but his once unassailable bastion of power at the top of the global governing body was shattered.
Internal Fallout and Staff Reactions
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent an internal message to staff lamenting the "sad and reproachable series of events" that led to the project being "permanently abandoned", two sources said.
"We have all been thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept," Grafstrom wrote in the letter without mentioning Infantino by name.
"But, as Secretary General, I urge you to remain focused on what has always united us: serving football and serving our 211 Member Associations, hand in hand with all relevant stakeholders and in full compliance with the FIFA Statutes and FIFA Regulations.
"Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue, and that is why we should always keep our professionalism, sense of perspective and composure."
Key Executives Distance Themselves
Arsene Wenger, the Chief of Global Football Development at FIFA and technical adviser to soccer's rule-making body IFAB, said he was not involved in the proposal and only learned about it through media reports.
"The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity," Wenger said in a statement.
Carlos Cordeiro, senior advisor to Infantino, resigned last week after "unequivocally" opposing the proposal.
Infantino, meanwhile, has called senior staff members to a meeting in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, according to a report in The Times on Tuesday, as he plots a path through the crisis.
Accusations and Loss of Support
Allegations of Blackmail
'AMOUNTS TO BLACKMAIL'
Jordan FA president Ali bin Hussein accused FIFA of "blackmail", claiming it offered to help solve many of the kingdom's problems in exchange for endorsing Infantino.
"We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him (Infantino) before and certainly will not now," Bin Hussein wrote on X.
"But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that."
Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment on the allegations.
Federations Withdraw Support
The German FA said it was not endorsing Infantino, while the Dutch FA said it would not vote for him in the next elections. Several other federations withdrew support on Monday.
Regional Confederations and Power Struggles
Efforts to Remove Infantino
FORCE INFANTINO OUT OF OFFICE
One media report suggested three regional confederations had united to try to force Infantino out of office.
Five European national associations, including England's FA, have formally withdrawn their backing for his re-election at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March, while Denmark's said it was never going to vote for him in any case.
The federations of Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Morocco - which is co-hosting the 2030 World Cup - have declared continued support for Infantino, who has run FIFA since 2016 and wants to stay on until 2031.
The Indonesian governing body added its support in a statement on Tuesday, praising Infantino's "continued commitment to fostering unity across the global football community."
He has also attempted to boost his own image by amplifying their statements on Instagram, while FIFA dismissed as "pure fiction" a report that Infantino sought support from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to stay in power.
The numbers with firm public positions are small -- 211 national federations will vote at Congress -- but blindsiding major stakeholders in the game with his proposal has clearly lost Infantino allies among the regional confederations.
Statements from UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC
Powerful European confederation UEFA and CONCACAF, which runs the game in North and Central America and the Caribbean, issued strongly worded statements on Saturday saying they had lost confidence in his leadership.
'TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE'
The usually loyal Asian confederation (AFC) did not go so far in its criticism but called for institutional reform at FIFA after declaring the lack of consultation over the plan "totally unacceptable".
According to a report in the Times of London on Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC are determined to force Infantino out of office by paralysing FIFA and even starting up their own competitions if he refuses to go.
CONCACAF, the AFC and FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. UEFA said it had no comment.
UEFA has confirmed that it has sent a "document preservation letter" to FIFA for all material related to Infantino's plan and is still mulling whether to start legal proceedings over it.
African Support and CAF's Position
Leading African football administrators have, however, sent messages of support to Infantino as the embattled president looks to the continent's 54 members for backing in a bid to keep his job. CAF has not yet taken a stance.
Infantino's Power Base and Future Prospects
Extraordinary Congress Threat
INFANTINO POWER BASE PUT TO THE TEST
Infantino's immediate concern will be to avoid the calling of an Extraordinary Congress, triggered if 43 or more FIFA member associations make a formal written request for one.
Beyond that, he will h
