- FIFA rejects reports that president Gianni Infantino promised Morocco the 2030 World Cup final hosting rights
- The allegations came from Times journalist Martyn Ziegler, who has tracked Infantino’s conduct inside the football governing body
- Sources from Morocco insisted that Infantino held direct talks with the FRMF over the final hosting despite FIFA’s denial
FIFA has dismissed reports that its president, Gianni Infantino, secretly offered Morocco the right to host the 2030 World Cup final in return for their backing as he fights to secure a third term in office.
Infantino is navigating one of the most turbulent stretches of his FIFA presidency after his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative drew fierce criticism from across the football world.
Source: Getty Images
The FIFA elections is scheduled for next year, the Swiss administrator is actively courting backing from member associations as his support appears to be softening in several regions.
Times journalist Martyn Ziegler, a reporter who has regularly broken stories about internal FIFA dealings and Infantino’s conduct recently published another report.
Ziegler’s report alleged that Morocco was among the countries targeted, with Infantino reportedly opening discussions with the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football over which country would stage the showpiece match of the 2030 tournament.
FIFA denies World Cup offer to Morocco
The global football governing body issued a statement to the media pushing back against the allegations, describing them as false and misleading.
“It is false and misleading to claim the FIFA President has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 Final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course,” the statement reads.
Portugal, Spain and Morocco are the three co-hosts for the 2030 World Cup. The specific host city and stadium for the final have not yet been decided, with Real Madrid lobbying for the match to be played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
Despite FIFA’s flat denial, talkSPORT reported that sources with knowledge of the situation, including individuals connected to Morocco, confirmed that discussions between Infantino and the FRMF over the hosting of the 2030 final did take place.
The contradicting accounts place FIFA in an uncomfortable position as Infantino prepares to make his case for re-election, with questions around his conduct continuing to surface ahead of the vote.
Jordan FA accuses Infantino of blackmail
Legit.ng previously reported that the Jordan FA accused Gianni Infantino of political blackmail amid mounting pressure on the FIFA president.
The Jordanian president, Prince Ali Al Hussein, published a statement on X detailing the unfair treatment meted out to his country by FIFA.
Source: Legit.ng