FIFA breaks silence over 2030 World Cup final venue claim as Infantino travels to Morocco | Football | Sport
FIFA has strongly denied reports that its president, Gianni Infantino, promised Morocco could host the 2030 World Cup final match in return for support. A FIFA spokesperson: “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 came after reports in The Times claimed Infantino had privately promised Morocco the right to stage the tournament’s showpiece match in exchange for support for his continued leadership of FIFA. Reuters reported that the FIFA president has spent the last week in Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, while holding crisis talks with senior FIFA officials following the collapse of the governing body’s controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. The proposal, which would have involved selling a 20% stake in FIFA’s new commercial rights body to private investors, was abandoned last week after fierce opposition from UEFA and several national football associations.
The backlash has intensified scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership ahead of FIFA’s presidential election next March.
Morocco has continued to back Infantino during the crisis, according to Reuters, while also pushing for Casablanca’s new Hassan II Stadium to host the 2030 World Cup final.
The venue is expected to become the world’s largest football stadium, with a capacity of around 115,000 spectators.
However, FIFA has insisted no decision has yet been made on where the final will be staged, rejecting suggestions that any agreement has already been reached.
The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each stage one opening match to commemorate the centenary of the first FIFA World Cup.
Infantino’s visit to Morocco comes amid one of the biggest challenges of his presidency after his FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal drew widespread criticism from football’s governing bodies and stakeholders.
Reuters reported that UEFA has said it no longer has confidence in Infantino’s leadership, while several national associations have withdrawn their backing for the Swiss-Italian ahead of next year’s election.
Despite the growing pressure, no formal decision has been taken on the location of the 2030 World Cup final, with FIFA insisting the process remains ongoing and that the choice of venue will be made in due course.
