Former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Luis Figo has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign.
Figo, who was a candidate for the FIFA presidency in 2015 before withdrawing and later backing Infantino, hit out at the 56-year-old, labelling him the “lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed”.
The FIFA President held an emergency meeting following his sell-off plan collapsing last week.
Ahead of the talks, the Portugal great criticised Infantino for abusing the rules of football to “please his friends”.
“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go.
“I have loved football all my life. I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game.
“But what I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.
“The man who would do that – the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends – is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future.
Luis Figo has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign
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“None of this comes as a surprise when you consider the litany of abuses he has inflicted on football’s reputation; from suspending and reversing disciplinary decisions to breaking the laws of the game over a half-time show, nothing gets in the way of pleasing his friends.
“Infantino has debased the office of FIFA president that he promised to elevate.
“He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve,” Figo told the Daily Mail.
The FIFA President scrapped his World Cup sell-off plans at the start of the month after saying the project “has created divisions”.
Figo said Infantino ‘has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest’
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FIFA attempted to convince its 211 member associations to back the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new commercial company that would control the rights to the governing body’s major tournaments.
It planned to sell a 20 per cent share of the business to private investors, with the venture reportedly valued at around $20billion (£14.8billion).
Infantino released a statement confirming the proposals would not go ahead, reading: “The FFE project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed.
“And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.
Infantino is under immense pressure in his role as FIFA President
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“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.
“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.”
