Luís Figo has called on Gianni Infantino to resign as Fifa president, describing the failed plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors as "the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed".
Infantino under pressure
Infantino was forced to abandon the proposal after a backlash led by Uefa. The 56-year-old has called an emergency meeting of Fifa staff on Wednesday as pressure mounts on his leadership.
The Portugal legend, who won 127 caps and played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, accused Infantino of having "debased the office of Fifa president that he promised to elevate" since taking over in 2016.
Figo's call to action
Writing in the Daily Mail, Figo said: "I could write 10,000 words on the problems at Fifa. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go."
He added: "He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve. He has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the Fifa Peace Prize winner [Donald Trump]. It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now."
Lack of transparency
Figo, a football adviser to Uefa since 2017, cited Infantino's lack of transparency over the private equity deal, which reportedly would have increased his salary to $30m a year.
"It's not honest when you fail to mention that, after you have delivered the head of the World Cup on a platter to your mates in DC, they are going to give you a job worth five times your current salary," he wrote.
"None of this comes as a surprise when you consider the litany of abuses he has inflicted on football's reputation; from suspending and reversing disciplinary decisions to breaking the laws of the game over a half-time show, nothing gets in the way of pleasing his friends."
