FIFA President Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday amid growing criticism over his abandoned proposal to open the World Cup to private investment, according to AFP.
The meeting comes days after Infantino shelved the proposal following opposition from within FIFA and football governing bodies.
Former Portugal international Luis Figo publicly called on Infantino to resign, saying the FIFA president should have no role in the future of world football.
"I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go," Figo wrote in the Daily Mail.
"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."
Figo also accused Infantino of attempting to push through major changes that would benefit himself and his associates.
One of those believed to have attended the meeting was FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal email criticising the proposal was leaked on Tuesday.
Infantino was in Morocco for last week's Feast of the Enthronement and held the meeting at FIFA's Africa regional office in Sale, near Rabat.
Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, has remained among the few public supporters of Infantino following the withdrawal of the proposal.
Moroccan football chief Fouzi Lekjaa described the decision to abandon the plan as a move made in the interest of "unity and cohesion" and reaffirmed his support for Infantino's initiatives during his decade in office.
The controversy follows FIFA's proposal to establish a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage competitions including the FIFA World Cup and Club World Cup.
According to FIFA, the project could have raised up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion. It also proposed a one-off payment of $20 million to each of FIFA's 211 member associations in early 2027 and an increase in funding for the 2027–2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
The proposal drew strong opposition, with UEFA describing it as a "shabby, back room, opaque deal" and stating that the current FIFA leadership had lost its confidence.
CONCACAF also criticised Infantino's leadership and called for "a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency."
In his leaked email, Grafstrom described the controversy as "a sad and reproachable series of events," adding that FIFA's mission and responsibility to world football would continue despite the turmoil.
