FIFA crisis meeting in Morocco overshadowed by high-profile absentees | OneFootball

FIFA, led by Gianni Infantino, staged a crisis meeting in Morocco on Wednesday to project unity among its directors, but conspicuous absences highlighted lingering internal rifts.

According to L'Équipe, secretary general Mattias Grafström and several board members reaffirmed their full support for the president on Wednesday evening. Infantino and Grafström were pictured together, smiling, on Instagram and in the official stand at Rabat's Al Medina Stadium during the Women's Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia, which ended 1-2.

Yet French executive Kevin Lamour, regarded as FIFA's number three, was not invited to the meeting. Arsène Wenger was also absent.

The governing body has been in turmoil for around 10 days, heightening scrutiny of its crisis handling. Crisis communications remain a delicate business.

Wednesday's attempt to retake the initiative signalled intent, but the exclusions underlined that internal fractures remain unresolved.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”