Portuguese football legend Luis Figo called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign Wednesday, accusing him of putting his own interests ahead of football.
"Today I join others from across our game and call for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA President," Figo said in a post on US social media company X.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona star criticized Infantino's leadership following the collapse of a controversial proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
"Infantino has debased the office that he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve," Figo said.
"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," he added.
"It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now."
Figo's call added to mounting pressure on Infantino, who held an emergency meeting with senior FIFA officials in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday over the abandoned investment plan, according to media reports.
The meeting followed criticism of the proposal from UEFA, CONCACAF and other football bodies. Senior FIFA officials and prominent football figures, including FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger, also distanced themselves from the plan.
FIFA announced last week that it planned to establish a subsidiary valued at $20 billion to manage the commercial and event operations of the World Cup and its other competitions.
The proposal involved offering external investors a stake of up to 20% in the subsidiary, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, potentially raising as much as $4.2 billion.
FIFA later withdrew the plan following opposition from football associations, confederations, leagues, clubs and supporters.
UEFA welcomed the withdrawal Saturday, saying the proposal had been unanimously rejected by its national associations and opposed by many other federations and confederations worldwide.
European football's governing body said FIFA's current leadership had lost the confidence of much of the football community and called for those responsible for the proposal to be identified and held accountable.
British media reported Monday that UEFA had threatened Infantino with legal action over the abandoned plan and warned him against destroying documents or other material related to it.
