Key questions as Infantino faces Fifa executives after scrapped commercial plan

Fifa president Gianni Infantino is meeting with senior leaders of football's world governing body on Wednesday to secure his position as criticism over his now scrapped plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations intensifies.

The crisis escalated after secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a highly critical internal memo to Fifa staff, prompting Infantino to summon members of the management board to Morocco. The meeting takes place at Fifa's Africa office in Rabat, with attendees including finance chief Thomas Peyer, legal chief Emilio Garcia Silvero, chief of staff Daniel O'Toole, chief of member associations Elkhan Mammadov, and media relations director Bryan Swanson.

Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy and governance, quit on Friday over the controversial plan. Member associations had previously been given a strict deadline of 19 September to approve the deal or miss out on extra funding.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

In his resignation announcement, Cordeiro outlined key questions that Infantino is expected to face during Wednesday's gathering:

• Why this deal, and why now?
• What oversight exists, and who benefits?
• Was there a competitive process and what governance will be in place?
• What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football?

Cordeiro noted that asking member associations to make a monumental decision in barely 50 days while leaving these core questions unanswered is not a responsible way to determine the future of the sport. Over the weekend, Uefa stated it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership, while associations including Wales and soon England withdrew their support for his re-election.

Despite facing fierce European criticism and answering for a damaging week, Infantino has attempted to rally global support. On Tuesday, African nations including Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, and DR Congo issued statements backing him. While it remains unlikely he will step down on Wednesday, Infantino may need to offer contrition, outline a reform roadmap, or introduce strict checks and balances to bridge the divide.

If Infantino vows to fight on, Uefa and opposing confederations could resort to forcing an emergency meeting through 19 of the 37 Fifa Council members, or triggering an extraordinary congress requiring written requests from 43 out of 211 member associations. Since Uefa alone has 55 nations, it holds the power to initiate the process, which would ultimately require 106 votes to pass a vote of no confidence ahead of the 18 November candidacy deadline for the March election.

Source: BBC Sport