The boss of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, entangled in a controversy since the – aborted – project to open the world body to private investors, “must leave”, said Portuguese football legend Luis Figo on Wednesday.
“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution is in three words: Infantino must go,” summarized Luis Figo, a former public supporter of Infantino at the time of his very first election in 2016, in a column in the British newspaper “Daily Mail”.
“I have encountered a few crooks during my career, but what I have seen over the last ten days is the worst, most devious and most selfish behavior I have ever witnessed,” continues the former attacking midfielder, Ballon d’Or winner in 2000, appointed UEFA advisor in 2017.
Last week, FIFA surprisingly announced a plan to create a commercial company open to external investors, a plan ultimately abandoned in the face of rejection from many football players, including UEFA.
“He lied, deceived and tried to enrich himself”
According to Luis Figo, a man who “attempts to impose such big changes just to enrich himself and his friends is a relic of the past and should not be part of the future.”
The former FC Barcelona and Real Madrid player also criticizes the Swiss leader for having lacked “transparency on the exorbitant returns that private investment funds always seek”.
“Infantino has debased the office of FIFA president which he had promised to enhance. He lied, deceived and tried to enrich himself at the expense of the sport he is supposed to cover,” regrets Luis Figo.
“It is too late to save his dignity, but it is not too late to save football. He has to leave. Right away,” he concludes.
In addition to external opposition, Infantino also faces criticism within FIFA, notably from the body’s secretary general Mattias Grafström who, in a letter to employees, regretted “a series of sad and reprehensible events”.
Infantino is for the moment the only candidate declared for re-election for the poll scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco, where he is participating in a crisis meeting on Wednesday with senior officials of the organization.
