Gianni Infantino has summoned FIFA’s senior leadership staff to a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday in the wake of fierce internal criticism following his failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.Infantino was last week forced to scrap a proposal to make stakes in world soccer governing body’s commercial and event operations available for private investment after an overwhelming global backlash that is now threatening his position as president.Criticism intensified further earlier on Monday when Mattias Grafstrom, the organisation’s secretary general, joined Kevin Lamour, the chief operating officer, in voicing his opposition to the plan.In a letter to staff on Monday morning, seen by The Athletic, Grafstrom — who was not aware of Infantino’s FFE proposal — said “individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go” and described it as a “sad and reproachable series of events”.This followed a statement Lamour provided to the Associated Press on Friday, where he said staff had been “deceived” and said FFE was “the project of one person”.Although he did not mention Infantino, nor did he criticise the 56-year-old, Arsene Wenger released a statement on Monday to say he only found out about the proposal via media reports.“The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side,” a statement from Wenger, shared by FIFA, read. “I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”As pressure mounts internally on Infantino, the president of the Jordanian Football Association, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, a former FIFA presidential candidate, ramped up the external heat by accusing world football’s governing body of “blackmail” in a searing statement posted on social media.“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values,” he wrote. “We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now. But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that.”European football’s governing body UEFA has called for Infantino to go, saying it has lost confidence in his leadership, while the English Football Association is set to follow the Football Association of Wales and withdraw their letter of support for Infantino’s re-election next year.The Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, the confederation that hosted this summer’s World Cup, are yet to go as far as their European counterparts in specifically calling for change at the top, but both are seeking urgent answers from Infantino.Aug 4, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms