Embattled FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, will hold a crisis meeting with top officials in Morocco on Wednesday as he looks to shore up his position in the wake of the collapse of his gambit to sell off commercial rights to the World Cup.

Infantino has been the subject of a wave of criticism, and personal abuse, since he floated the idea of the new commercial rights body to FIFA’s 211 member associations last week.

The proposed sale of 20 percent of the body to private investors to raise 4.2 billion dollars, and the involvement of a company with family links to U.S President Donald Trump, were the most flagrant flaws in the plan.

The FIFA supremo backed down on Friday, but it didn’t satisfy his most staunch critics, the European confederation UEFA, and some of his colleagues at FIFA.

That has cast a shadow over Infantino’s re-election for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March, which looked a foregone conclusion two months ago.

The first order of Wednesday’s meeting in Sale, is likely to focus on ensuring that Infantino at least survives the seven months until the election.

But an extraordinary Congress could be called if 43 or more FIFA member associations make a formal written request for one on Wednesday.

—SABC—