Portuguese football legend Luis Figo has launched a scathing attack on Gianni Infantino, the president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), demanding that he leave his post, in an article published by Britain's "Daily Mail" on Wednesday.
Figo opened his article by saying: "I could write 10,000 words about FIFA's problems. But the solution needs only three words: Infantino must go."
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He added: "I have loved football all my life. I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I met a few conmen during my career in the game. But what I have seen unfold over the past 10 days is the most degenerate, deceitful and cowardly, selfish behaviour I have ever witnessed."
The former Barcelona and Real Madrid star went on: "The man who does this, the man who tries to force through major changes like these only to enrich himself and his friends, is a relic of the game's past, and should have no role in its future."
He continued: "If the idea is that good (the project to sell shares of the World Cup to investors), then why did you not tell your members when they were all gathered in one room before the World Cup final? If the plan is strong and solid, then why did you not tell your members about the risks alongside what you describe as the benefits?"
Figo went on: "If the idea is self-evident and requires no thought, then why were you not honest about the fact that it would give you a job with a salary of 30 million dollars a year at the end of it? But none of that happened. Because it is not a good idea. It is not solid when you fail to be transparent about the crushing returns that private capital always seeks, and it is not bold when you fail to explain that once you sell your share, it is gone forever, and that you have deprived your successors of ownership of the World Cup."
He added: "And it is not an honest (idea), when you fail to mention that after you served up the head of the World Cup on a golden platter to your friends in Washington, they will give you a job worth five times your current salary."
The World Cup and the Jordanian federation president
Figo went on, referring to the controversy that accompanied the 2026 World Cup competitions: "None of this is surprising, if you look at the string of transgressions he has inflicted on the reputation of football, from suspending disciplinary decisions and reversing them, to violating the laws of the game because of the presentation of the first half, nothing stands in the way of pleasing his friends."
He continued: "Nor is it surprising when you read the comments of (the Jordanian federation president) Prince Ali, which highlight the gang-like behaviour of Infantino's FIFA, obstructing the work and funding of the (Jordanian) football federation in order to secure a letter of nomination, so that this era of terrible selfishness continues."
The former Portugal star concluded: "This plan, like the Super League before it, blew up because of the media, which exposed all its twists and tricks, before its supporters could arrange their messages. And thank God it blew up."