Infantino calls emergency meeting as FIFA face mounting criticism over sell-off

The controversial proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, has drawn public opposition from several high-profile figures.

 FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, and Jordanian Football Association President, Prince Ali bin Hussein, have criticised the move by the FIFA president.

The backlash has been swift and severe. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy, resigned over the scandal, calling the proposal "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future."

Infantino, who has been in Morocco for the past week, called an executive meeting in Rabat to manage the escalating controversy. 

BBC Sport understands the meeting will include Grafström and key members of the FIFA management board, such as finance chief Thomas Peyer, legal head Emilio Garcia Silvero, and media relations director Bryan Swanson.

Wenger, the former Arsenal manager who has held his FIFA role since 2019, distanced himself from the plan and insisted its withdrawal was essential. 

The former Arsenal manager is one of 18 FIFA officials named in a document preservation letter sent by UEFA, which has threatened legal action over the matter.

"It is clear the problem really is with leadership," he wrote. "For months, FIFA has been refusing to help us—until it was verbally communicated to me during the World Cup that if I endorsed Infantino it would go a long way to helping our FA out. 

“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now."