Luis Figo blasts Gianni Infantino and demands he resigns – ‘Most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour’

Luis Figo has called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign in an explosive open letter.

Infantino is desperately fighting to save his job after his bungled FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan was exposed, paving the way for a tsunami of missteps which resulted in multiple governing bodies threatening tournament boycotts.

The fall-out has been so significant that several nations, including England and Wales, have withdrawn their support for Infantino’s re-election bid.

Infantino has even been accused of ‘blackmail’ from the president of the Jordan Football Association, underlining his desperation to hold onto power.

The FIFA president has since called a meeting in Rabat, Morocco for crisis talks as he attempts to cling on to his job.

A string of senior FIFA officials, including general secretary Mattias Grafstrom, are expected to attend the meeting.

Yet it may be a summit that only delays what appears to be the inevitable, especially now that Figo has added to the chorus of criticism via a stinging column in the Daily Mail.

What did Luis Figo say about Gianni Infantino?

“I have loved football all my life,” Figo wrote.

“I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game.

“But what I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.”

Figo, who was a candidate for the FIFA presidency in 2015, only to withdraw and throw his support behind Infantino, accused the Swiss of overseeing a ‘reign of terrible self-interest.’

“Infantino has debased the office of FIFA President that he promised to elevate,” Figo added.

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“He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.”

Figo’s scathing assessment of Infantino’s FIFA presidency represents a complete 180 given he trumpeted the Swiss official’s qualities prior to succeeding Sepp Blatter.

“His (Infantino’s) experience, competence, capacity for work and his honesty make him the best candidate for the presidency,” Figo said in 2015.

“Gianni represents a new generation of leaders who put football first. He has a new style, a new approach to a procedure in need of transparency and an idea debate instead of political manouevering and personal attacks.”

Wen in doubt

Figo is not the only famous football figure to have changed their tune on Infantino in recent days.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who had been criticised for his initial silence on Infantino’s sinister FFE plot, has since distanced himself from the failed proposal.

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In a statement, Wenger said he had been left in the dark over the FFE fiasco and said the decision to pull the plug on it was ‘absolutely necessary and beyond question’.

Infantino has also been desperately attempting to rally support from FIFA Legends, former internationals who are paid to appear at various events, but his efforts have proved futile thus far.