Infantino calls emergency meeting in Rabat as FIFA crisis turns into open revolt

Gianni Infantino has convened an emergency meeting of world football's leadership in Rabat in a bid to contain a crisis that is threatening his presidency at FIFA. The talks were triggered by the cancellation of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a controversial plan to sell off parts of the organization's commercial and sporting assets that met fierce internal resistance. Wednesday's gathering in Morocco is expected to include the heads of FIFA's legal and finance departments, along with the secretary general. Behind the scenes, however, the mood is anything but stable, with even some of Infantino's closest allies now keeping their distance from the abandoned project. Arsène Wenger, head of global football development at FIFA, said he learned about the plan from the media and insisted its cancellation was necessary and beyond dispute. He called on the organization to return to transparency and honesty. Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, a long-time supporter of Infantino, wrote to staff that the situation was a sad and damning series of events, acknowledging that FIFA had been thrown into turmoil and urging colleagues to remain professional. The strongest accusations came from Prince Ali, president of the Jordan Football Association. He accused FIFA of financial blackmail, saying it unjustifiably delayed prize money from the Arab Cup to pressure Jordan into backing Infantino's reelection. Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser for global strategy and so far the only high-ranking official to resign over the scandal, described the proposal as a bad deal that could have mortgaged the future of football. UEFA has turned up the pressure by sending FIFA a formal letter that preserves documents and raises the possibility of legal action. Wenger's name is among the 18 officials mentioned in that correspondence. Rabat was a deliberate choice for the crisis talks. Morocco is a co-host of the next World Cup and its football association is openly supportive of Infantino, who hopes to use the country as a springboard next year as he seeks a fourth term. Yet with a revolt now being led by UEFA and senior figures publicly breaking ranks, some in the sport hope the crisis will force Infantino out before the next Congress.