FIFA president Gianni Infantino is said to have promised Morocco the organization of the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for political support amid an institutional crisis that threatens his continuity at the head of the organization. This is reported this Wednesday by the British newspaper The Times, citing sources close to the entity.
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Infantino has remained in Rabat since the controversy erupted over his project to sell commercial shares of the World Cup to private investors. Since then, the Swiss leader is said to have intensified contacts with various federations to gather public support after many federations called for a change in the FIFA presidency due to his intention to create an external company (Fifa Forward Enterprise, FFE) to manage the organization’s commercial activities and tournaments such as the World Cups, with the entry of private investors. What worries the FIFA president the most would be the silence of Saudi Arabia, one of his main allies and host of the 2034 World Cup.
The Times claims that Infantino would have guaranteed Morocco that the 2030 World Cup final will be played in the future Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, with a planned capacity of 115,000 spectators, and not in Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu, as Rafa Louzán assured would happen a few months ago. “Spain will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be played here,” said the president of the Spanish Federation.
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Morocco has been one of Infantino’s main supporters since he took over the FIFA presidency a decade ago and is also supporting him in the most difficult moment of his term as president. The African country also hosts FIFA’s regional office for Africa, inaugurated last year in Rabat, where the president urgently gathered his closest circle this Wednesday to address the crisis facing the organization.
Other sources, however, downplay this proposal and point out that any commitment regarding the final venue would lack binding character and could be revoked by a possible successor if Infantino leaves the presidency. However, if this information is confirmed, relations between Spain and Morocco could once again experience a tense event.
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