The former Portuguese footballer, who supported the Swiss official when he took over the presidency of FIFA, accused him of lying, deceiving, and acting in his own interest. He also questioned the failed project to sell part of the organization's commercial rights
In the midst of the political crisis it is going through, Gianni Infantino has gained a new critic: Luis Figo. The former Portuguese footballer published an explosive column in the British newspaper Daily Mail in which he called for the resignation of the president of FIFA.
"I could write 10,000 words about the problems of FIFA. But the solution only requires three: Infantino must go", Figo wrote at the beginning of a letter in which he harshly criticized someone who had received his support a decade ago to become president of the organization.
The former player stated that the crisis triggered by the attempt to commercialize part of the rights to FIFA's main competitionsthrough private investors (the now-canceled FIFA Forward Enterprise project) convinced him that the Swiss leader can no longer continue at the helm of world football.
"I have loved football all my life. I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I have encountered some scoundrels during my career in this sport. But what I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful, and cowardly selfish behavior I have ever witnessed", he stated.
Figo asserted that Infantino attempted to push through a historic transformation without adequately informing the member federations and questioned the lack of transparency with which, according to him, the entire process was handled. "If it was such a good idea, why didn't you tell your members when you had them all gathered in a room before the World Cup final? If it was such a solid plan, why not inform your members about the risks, as well as the benefits you describe?", he asked rhetorically.
Figo supported Infantino in 2016
He also raised suspicions about the economic interests behind the initiative. "It is not a good idea. It is not solid when there is no transparency about the exorbitant profits that private equity firms always seek. It is not brave not to explain that, once your stake is sold, it is lost forever and that you have disinherited your successors as owners of the World Cup", he wrote.
In one of the harshest passages of the column, the Portuguese hinted that the project aimed to personally benefit Infantino. "It is not honest when you do not mention that, after handing the World Cup on a silver platter to your colleagues in Washington D.C., you are going to be given a job worth five times your current salary", he stated.
The former player also rejected the argument that FIFA needs private funding to sustain its tournaments and reminded that the organization has significant resources of its own. "Football does need a discussion about money. But about the money that should be invested in building sports fields and training coaches to ensure that all children in the world have the opportunity to fall in love with the most beautiful sport on the planet", he maintained. In that vein, he emphasized that FIFA has "5 billion dollars in reserves", so, in his view, there is no need to sell part of its assets.
Furthermore, Figo expanded his criticisms of the Swiss leader's overall management and claimed that the project was yet another consequence of a long series of controversial decisions. He accused him of "suspending and revoking disciplinary decisions", of "breaking the rules of the game for a halftime show", and stated that "nothing stands in the way of pleasing his friends".
On the other hand, the Portuguese also publicly supported the recent statements of the president of the Jordanian Football Federation (JFA), Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, who had denounced an alleged "mafia-like" behavior within FIFA to pressure various federations to ensure political support for Infantino ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
The letter concludes with one of the most forceful criticisms against the current head of the organization: "Infantino has degraded the position of FIFA president that he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived, and tried to enrich himself at the expense of the sport he is supposedly meant to serve. He has lost the support of his management team, his closest advisors, the vast majority of people who dedicate their lives to this sport, and even, apparently, the winner of the FIFA Peace Prize. It is too late to save his dignity, but it is not too late to save football.He should go. Now".
The Portuguese's statement carries significant symbolic weight. In 2016, he supported Infantino's rise to the presidency after FIFA GATE, the biggest corruption scandal that shook the governing body of world football. Ten years later, he has joined the group of leaders and football figures calling for a change in leadership at one of the most delicate moments of the Swiss's mandate, just months before the elections scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco.
