FIFA President Gianni Infantino is currently the subject of intense criticism regarding the direction of world football's governing body. The discourse centers on the organization's role in global development projects, specifically in areas like Salé, Morocco, where rapid urban transformation has occurred under the country’s government.

Critics argue that FIFA’s influence and the infrastructure projects associated with its events often prioritize grand development at the expense of local communities. The Guardian reports that while areas like Salé have seen significant physical changes, including the clearing of slums to make way for new projects, these transformations have been marked by forced displacement and rapid, often uncontrolled population growth.

There is a growing debate regarding why football stakeholders have taken so long to challenge FIFA’s leadership and its operational model. While some observers characterize the current backlash against Infantino as a form of 'karmic' retribution for years of controversial governance, others view it as a necessary reckoning for an organization that has historically operated with limited accountability. The primary point of contention remains whether FIFA’s development initiatives genuinely benefit the local populations in host countries or if they primarily serve the interests of the governing body and autocratic regimes. As the debate continues, the focus remains on the disconnect between FIFA's stated goals of global development and the lived reality of residents in the cities transformed by these projects.