Luis Figo calls for Gianni Infantino to quit, deepening FIFA crisis | OneFootball

The institutional crisis engulfing FIFA added a new high-impact chapter. Luis Figo, one of the biggest figures in Portuguese football and current adviser to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, publicly called for Gianni Infantino to step down and held him responsible for the conflict generated by the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.

In a message posted on his official X account, the former Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan player said the Swiss executive is no longer in a position to continue leading world football’s top governing body. “Today I join other members of our sport in calling for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA president,” he wrote.

Figo, who had backed Infantino’s rise to the presidency in 2016, said the current leader failed to keep the promises with which he began his tenure. “He has degraded the office he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived, and tried to benefit at the expense of the sport he is supposed to protect,” he said.

The Portuguese closed his post with a phrase that quickly made waves in football circles: “It is too late to save his dignity, but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.”

Figo’s harsh letter against Infantino

In addition to the social media message, Figo released an open letter in which he expanded on his criticism of FIFA’s leadership and especially questioned the way Infantino pushed the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, the initiative that sought to reorganize the commercial exploitation of the body’s main tournaments and was ultimately withdrawn after opposition from various confederations and national federations.

The former midfielder said he had never witnessed anything like it throughout his entire career linked to football. “I could write ten thousand words about FIFA’s problems. But the solution requires only three: Infantino must go,” he said at the start of the document. He later added that, after more than two decades in professional football, he had never seen similar behavior. “I have seen many things in this sport, but what has happened in recent days represents the most deceptive, selfish, and cowardly conduct I have ever witnessed,” he said.

Figo also questioned the lack of transparency with which, in his view, the project was drawn up. “If it really was a good idea, why wasn’t it presented and debated with the member associations when they were all gathered before the World Cup final? Why were only the benefits explained and not the risks?” he asked.

Pressure on Infantino continues to grow

Figo’s statements come at a particularly delicate moment for Infantino. In recent days, UEFA has led a strong offensive against FIFA’s leadership following the attempt to create FIFA Forward Enterprise and warned that the body has lost confidence in its president.

At the same time, several national federations withdrew their support for the Swiss executive, and internal criticism grew over the way the project was pushed forward.

With FIFA’s presidential elections scheduled for March 2027, Figo’s call adds pressure on Infantino and deepens a political crisis that, despite the withdrawal of the FFE project, is far from over.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.