FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised Morocco that it will host the 2030 World Cup final at Casablanca's new Hassan II Stadium, rather than at the Bernabéu in Madrid, according to The Times.
The promise comes as Infantino faces mounting pressure over a plan to sell World Cup rights to outside investors. The Guardian reports that the backlash has left him fighting to save his presidency. FIFA generated a record $15bn in revenues from the current World Cup, but the sell-off plan provoked a crisis. UEFA, European football's governing body, says its boycott of FIFA remains in place, saying FIFA has not met conditions to end it.
The controversy has deep roots, stretching back to FIFA's 2010 decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, which triggered an FBI corruption inquiry and the cooperation of former Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer. Infantino had earlier dismissed critics in an Instagram post, accusing them of spreading hate and false rumours.