Luís Figo demands Infantino resign over 'deceitful' World Cup privatisation plan

The abandoned plan

Infantino had proposed selling stakes in the World Cup to private investors through a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise. The plan was withdrawn last Friday after fierce opposition from UEFA and three continental confederations. Critics said it would permanently cede control of the tournament and enrich a small circle. Infantino defended the idea as a way to boost revenue for all member federations, but the rushed attempt to push it through without consultation triggered a backlash.

Figo's call for resignation

On Wednesday, Luís Figo published a column in the Daily Mail demanding Infantino step down immediately. "I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go," he wrote. The former Ballon d'Or winner, now a UEFA football advisor, described the episode as "the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed." Figo, who briefly ran for the FIFA presidency in 2015 before withdrawing, said Infantino had "debased the office of FIFA president that he promised to elevate" since taking over in 2016.

He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve. He has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the FIFA Peace Prize winner. It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.

Internal dissent at FIFA

Figo's intervention follows days of mounting pressure on Infantino. FIFA's secretary general, Mattias Grafström, wrote to staff regretting "a series of sad and condemnable events," while Infantino's senior adviser resigned last week. Arsène Wenger, FIFA's chief of global football development, issued a statement saying the decision to withdraw the plan was "absolutely necessary and beyond question." Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, accused FIFA of blackmail, alleging it threatened to withhold financial assistance if his federation did not back Infantino's re-election bid.

Accusations of self-dealing and US ties

Figo also questioned the transparency of the deal, noting that Infantino failed to disclose that the private equity backers would reportedly give him a job worth five times his current salary, raising his pay to $30 million a year. "It's not honest when you fail to mention that, after you have delivered the head of the World Cup on a platter to your mates in DC, they are going to give you a job worth five times your current salary," Figo wrote. He further accused Infantino of subordinating FIFA to US interests, citing the controversial decision to rescind a red card shown to American player Folarin Balogun during the tournament and a half-time show that violated the rules of the game.

What happens next

Infantino convened an emergency meeting of FIFA staff in Morocco on Wednesday to shore up support, but the growing chorus of criticism from legends, confederations, and his own executives leaves his position precarious. Figo's column ends with a blunt demand: "He should go. Now." With the 2026 World Cup already concluded, the focus now shifts to whether Infantino can survive the fallout or if the calls for his resignation will force an early election.