FIFA's declaration of "full support" for embattled President Gianni Infantino is expected to deepen divisions and ignite a fresh power struggle in world football, sources told the Press Association.
Infantino convened a crisis meeting with FIFA's Management Board in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday after facing more than a week of mounting calls to resign over his proposal to sell stakes in a company that would oversee the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors.
The meeting ended with senior FIFA executives publicly reaffirming their backing for Infantino, emphasizing that he remains "the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations."
The controversial investment proposal was rejected last week by three continental confederations, with UEFA going as far as threatening to boycott FIFA competitions unless the plan was withdrawn.
Even after the plan was withdrawn last Saturday, UEFA said hours later it had "lost confidence" in Infantino's leadership, with a number of European nations, including England and Wales, since withdrawing their support for his re-election next year.
