By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – Fresh suspicions that FIFA president Gianni Infantino may be behind an alleged plot to exclude Morocco from the 2026 World Cup vote have provoked a furious response from the North African underdogs as tensions escalate ahead of the ballot in June.
Unconfirmed reports suggest Infantino, who is known to favour the rival heavyweight joint bid of the United States, Canada and Mexico, may have privately instructed Fifa’s Evaluation Task Force, which comprised some of his most trusted colleagues, to come up with some kind of incriminating evidence that could potentially disqualify Morocco from making the ballot paper.
As a result, according to the BBC, members of the panel are said to have discovered – either during or after their recent inspection visit – an undeclared family link between FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura and her Senegalese compatriot, former international striker El Hadji Diouf, who is an ambassador of the Moroccan bid.
The BBC says Samoura has been reported to the organisation’s ethics committee accused of alleged breaches relating to “duty of disclosure, co-operation and reporting” and “conflicts of interest”. Diouf is also reported to be subject to an ethics investigation.
Although the ethics committee itself has made no statement and the identity of the complainant has not been revealed, Samoura told the BBC she is “fully aware of this upcoming complaint” and has “a good idea who is conveying this message.”
“The whole country of Senegal will laugh at FIFA Ethics,” said Samoura who was the personal choice of Infantino as his number two when he took over the presidency from Sepp Blatter but who is now said to have fallen seriously out of favour when it comes to key strategic decisions and the day-to-day running of the organisation.
FIFA, intriguingly, did not deny an ethics complaint had been lodged, a spokesperson being quoted as responding: “The process is as fair, objective and transparent as it can get as demonstrated with the publication of the bid books, all bidding documents and the scoring system.
“The FIFA president is not involved in this process and he will not take part in the vote of the congress. These are facts and not ‘maybe’ or gossip. FIFA has been heavily criticised for how it conducted the selection of hosts in the past. It was our obligation to learn from this and leave no room for any doubt or subjectivity.
“Anyone criticising this approach should be able to say if they would prefer a return to the old ways. Allegations of a defamatory nature are unacceptable, especially when they come in a middle of a bidding process when calm, sense of responsibility and respect should prevail.”
Tellingly, however, a senior FIFA source told the BBC that claims about a link between Samoura and Diouf were “tenuous”, a view shared by the Moroccans who believe the whole episode is bogus.
“Moroccans believe this story has no substance and is another shameful attempt at undermining the bid process,” one source close to the bid team told Insideworldfootball.
The Moroccans are in no doubt who is behind the perceived conspiracy. “The ethics (committee) should focus on the wrongdoings of the FIFA leadership instead,” the source added.
Strong words and indicative of persistent claims of behind-the-scenes machinations which the Moroccans believe are jeopardising their chances of upsetting the favourites on June 13 – if they even get that far with everything hinging on the Task Force’s report.
Insideworldfootball reported exclusively over Easter that FIFA had added previously undisclosed changes to the eligibility criteria to the detriment of Morocco in the final hours before the deadline for bid books to be handed over.
The Moroccans said they knew nothing about the last-minute alterations and federation (FRMF) president Fouzi Lekjaa wrote directly to Gianni Infantino, copied to members of the FIFA Council and the Task Force evaluation team, in protest at the apparent delaying tactics.
FIFA vehemently denied any such underhand tactics took place or that hosting requirements had changed. But Lekjaa wrote back saying he was not satisfied by FIFA’s explanation and over the weekend reports in Germany added fresh credence to Morocco’s claims of underhand tactics.
According to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, at a meeting in Zurich in the days leading up to the deadline for bid books to be submitted, a revised version of the list of conditions – expanded from an initial eight pages to 50 – increased the minimum number of existing stadiums required from four to six. Morocco. The fact that Morocco’s submission proposed only five – each of which will require substantial upgrading – would have ruled them out of contention.
Although Samoura’s full name is Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura, it is not known exactly what family relationship, if any, she supposedly has to Diouf which is a hugely common name in parts of north Africa.
The Task Force members included Zvonimir Boban, FIFA’s joint deputy general secretary, long-standing FIFA legal stalwart Marco Villiger, audit chair Tomaz Vesel, governance committee chief Mukul Mudgal and competitions committee representative Ilco Gjorgioski.
Whilst it is not known which one of them, if any, uncovered the connection between Samoura and Diouf and raised the ethics complaint, fingers are pointing in certain directions. Meanwhile it is understood that Diouf himself has made it clear there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest he has broken any rules.
If that is the case and if the substance of the ethics complaint is just a cynical attempt to undermine Morocco’s bid, then Infantino could be taking a massive risk if he is in any way involved in a plot to disqualify them. Three big “ifs”.
It remains to be seen how this latest unsavoury saga plays out and whether Infantino, who has been at pains to insist that FIFA is cleaning up its act under his presidency, is in danger of scoring the mother of own goals.
Will wavering voting federations take the view that Morocco, at least one of whose previous four failed World Cup bids was shrouded in suspicion, could be guilty of ethics violations even though there is not a shred of evidence or proof at this stage of the proceedings?
Or will the current narrative work in Morocco’s favour in terms of widespread sympathy, given the spate of obstacles that appear to have been placed in the way of the bid team’s unflagging efforts to upset the odds?
One thing’s for sure. It’s all getting predictably ugly.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1735002867labto1735002867ofdlr1735002867owedi1735002867sni@w1735002867ahsra1735002867w.wer1735002867dna1735002867