BREAKING NEWS 🚨 Gianni Infantino OFFERS Morocco the 2030 World Cup FINAL!

All right, a bit of breaking news.I mean, it gets bad to worse for Infantino.This has just come to us, by the way.At the Times, Martin Ziegler has done it again.He's reporting that Infantino has offered Morocco the 2030 World Cup final in return for their support.It's just unbelievable.

He must just want to go to a cave and hide.It's just getting worse and worse.We are going to be joined by TalkSport senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs a little later on this.Right, let's get a little bit more on that breaking news we brought you before the break.Martin Zeger from our friends at The Times is reporting that Gianni Infantino has promised Morocco that it will host the 2030 World Cup final in return for its full support.Earlier this year, Spanish FA president Rafael Luzon insisted that Spain will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be here.

Let's get more as talkspot Ben Jacobs has been over this completely over us for the last few weeks joins us now.More in the infantino conversation.Ben, what's the latest on this?

Yeah, I don't think this helps Gianni Infantino's cause, because he's promising something again that is not just his to give.It requires collaboration and consultation.And ultimately, there's an election long, long before the World Cup, which is co -hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.And as you say, the feeling is that Spain feel entitled to host this World Cup final.Their perspective is they're driving the World Cup.And there's been a push from within the Spanish FA to take that World Cup final to Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium.

Now you have a situation in addition where Spain are the World Cup champions, so they'll no doubt double down in that position that this should be a final that they are allowed to host.And according to the Times, and now verified also by Talksport, Gianni Infantino, who is currently in Rabat in Morocco holding these crisis talks, has said to Moroccothat his intent is to take the 2030 World Cup final to Casablanca, which is going to be highly contentious.The stadium in mind would be the Hassan II Stadium, which will be brand new and 115 ,000, and I think that's bigger than the Bernabeu or in fact any other stadium at the moment anyway in the world.But what we have to understand is that Gianni Infantino is looking for votes.He's looking for favors.

He's looking for public support.He's fighting for his life.And engaging with Morocco, whether indirectly, formally, informally, is only going to anger the other federations and potentially backfire.And once again, everything Infantino is doing is not according to sources verified by the FIFA leadership team and it's certainly not supported by the other two co -hosts of the 2030 World Cup who according to my information are blindsided by this news.So Infantino battling behind the scenes and currently in Morocco but many will argue that it's not his World Cup final to award.It's a decision taken by the three co hosts plus the wider leadership team and ultimately the FIFA Council.

When does that decision normally take place?Like, obviously, the previous World Cups just ended.When does a decision about where the final of the next World Cup normally take place?I almost feel like that's years away.But is it something that normally is decided now?

No, not at all.I mean, I think with America, Canada and Mexico, we only learned that the New York, New Jersey stadium would host the final roughly a year out.Because first, you finish your World Cup, and then according to the FIFA protocol and the rules, you can't start planning or commercializing the next World Cup.This is a particularlydifficult World Cup, even though it will be very exciting, because it's the centenary edition, and there's games in South America, and then there's the three co -hosts, and much like America, Spain will indeed carry the bulk of the games.So if it follows the same format with three co -hosts as America, Canada, Mexico, then the nation, Spain, with the most games, the most input, money behind it will ultimately argue that they should get the showpiece event.

And you don't get to a point of unity without the three co -hosts speaking, because this was not a decision that they made collectively and collaboratively when they all decided to bid together.So there will have to be a formal process.And it is probably too early to say definitively that one nation or another would have a World Cup final.And if Gianni Infantino wants to give it to Morocco, he has to come out publicly and say that.He has to tell his leadership team.He has to tell the FIFA council.

He has to tell the three local on argue they're the favourites to host the final, but more because it has to be a direct and formal consultation process.And that hasn't happened.

Final one, Ben on Johnny, it feels like we are hearing a lot of European sort of nation speak out against him.I've always felt like he had a lot of the big back in from African countries as well as South American countries.Have those come out and backed him or backedagainst him in recent times?

Well, Gianni Infantino is still believed to have Africa and then we know that UEFA and to a large extent CONCACAF seem to be against him.And Infantino is tallying the votes because this feels complex but It's actually also very simple.Gianni Infantino needs 106.He started before the World Cup with 200 plus out of 211 member associations.He's lost a lot of votes, particularly from Europe and some parts of Asia, such as Jordan.Prince Ali bin Al Hussein issued a damning statement yesterday.

But if Infantino loses, let's say, 100 votes, then he might still be on 106.And if that's his position, he won't care about the very vocal opposition, because he'll feel he can win.If it falls below 106, then he might walk before he's pushed.So outside of the uefa opposition which is not entirely blanket but relatively so you've got asia which is the key battleground and qatar have said they're pro infantino really crucially saudi haven't spoken out yet and infantino is surprised by that but i would point out that yasser al -mishal who's the head of the saudi football federation is going to be outgoing and there's a new election taking place so it is possible that saudi haven't come up with a position because the election needs to happen first and then Jordan as I say against Infantino.So when I do the maths and I assume maybe a candidate like Victor Montagliani will run up against Gianni Infantino, it feels like Montagliani might get close to 90 from Konkakaf and UEFA and Infantino probably can be confident in 80 or 90 votes as well and then Asia is going to be the key battleground to determine whether the FIFA president has enough of a mandate and enough votes to fight on.

This is going to continue and continue and continue.Ben, appreciate you coming on.As always, busiest.man right now on the radio is Ben Jacobs, just because obviously he's covered this in full and he's done a fantastic job to do so as well.