Luís Figo Calls on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to Resign

Former Portugal captain Luís Figo called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, escalating the backlash over a withdrawn proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

Figo, who has served as a UEFA football adviser since 2017, argued that Infantino had lost the confidence needed to lead world football. His intervention followed criticism from senior football figures and associations over the proposal and the way it was advanced.

According to The Guardian, FIFA abandoned the private-investment plan after opposition led by UEFA. The report said Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, publicly supported withdrawing the proposal, while Jordan Football Association President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein separately accused FIFA of pressuring his federation over support for Infantino’s re-election.

Figo also questioned the transparency surrounding the proposed deal and cited reports that it could have produced a substantially higher salary for Infantino. Those claims are allegations made by critics and were not independently established in the source report.

Infantino has led FIFA since 2016. Figo’s demand does not itself remove him from office, but it adds a prominent former player and football official to a widening governance dispute around the FIFA president.