European Leagues adds pressure amid 'crisis' meeting

The association of European soccer leagues called for governance reform of FIFA on Wednesday, adding to the mounting pressure on president Gianni Infantino following his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

On the day that Infantino held a meeting with senior staff in Rabat, Morocco, European Leagues, which represents top competitions like the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, described the proposal as "dangerous", and said it pointed to deeper concerns about how world soccer's governing body operates.

It said it raised "serious questions about FIFA's governance, internal culture and decision-making".

"Now, more than ever, FIFA requires governance reform that ensures that all relevant stakeholders have a formal role in decisions that shape the future of our game."

In the statement, European Leagues hit out at the possibility of further expanding the World Cup to 64 teams and said "FIFA must not be allowed to continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions". It added that, until there was reform, it would reject the "expansion or creation" of FIFA competitions.

Later on Wednesday, FIFA denied a British media report suggesting Infantino, in seeking support for his presidency, had offered Morocco the hosting of the 2030 World Cup final.

Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the main co-hosts for the 2030 edition. Morocco hopes to host the final at the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca; Spain has at least two contenders — the home stadiums of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

A FIFA spokesperson said it's "false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course."

Carney raises concerns

Also Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he no longer has confidence in Infantino.

He said the FIFA president committed a "fatal" governance failure by not consulting senior advisers.

"Certainly, I don't have confidence in Mr Infantino," said Carney, who had appeared alongside the FIFA boss at several events during the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The latest condemnations of Infantino's leadership come after a tumultuous week, which has raised questions about his presidency of FIFA ahead of the next election for the position in March.

European soccer's governing body UEFA has applied the most intense pressure, voting to boycott the World Cup if Infantino pressed ahead with his plan to sell stakes in its top competitions through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) that would run FIFA's tournaments.

Even after Infantino's climbdown, UEFA said that it had lost confidence in FIFA's leadership — possibly paving the way for a challenge to his presidency.

The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) also said FIFA's leadership had "stopped putting football first".

On Tuesday, top officials Arsene Wenger and FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom distanced themselves from the FFE plan, which emphasized divisions within the organization that were evident when Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned last week, and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said staff were "deceived" by the president's lack of openness.

Wednesday's summit in Rabat was dubbed a "crisis meeting" by the media, amid growing expectation that Infantino will be challenged in next year's election when he aims to win a fourth and final term in office.

AP