Soccer legend Luis Figo has publicly said beleaguered FIFA President Gianni Infantino “must go,” piling the pressure on the sport’s chief administrator as he holds a crisis meeting with top FIFA officials on Wednesday after scrapping a hugely controversial plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup and other top tournaments.
In an op-ed obtained by CNN and first published by the Daily Mail, Figo, who won four La Liga titles, a Champions League trophy and the Ballon d’Or during his glittering career, called Infantino’s conduct “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,” the Portuguese former player wrote.
“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go,” he said.
The soccer world has been plunged into turmoil in the last week following the proposal by Infantino and FIFA to set up a separate entity – which would include private investors – to control the commercial and operational rights of the World Cup.
