FIFA issued an apology for errors linked to President Gianni Infantino’s unsuccessful plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. At a crisis meeting in Morocco, senior staff members expressed strong support for his presidency despite calls for his resignation.
World soccer’s governing body aimed to present unity amid the controversy surrounding Infantino’s contentious plans. Calls for Infantino to step down were addressed in a statement from FIFA. Secretary General Mattias Grafström and the management board, who were present in Rabat, reaffirmed their backing of the president.
The controversial plans involved selling profits from the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). FIFA acknowledged mistakes in handling the process and communicated this to council members and associations, along with an apology.
Grafström’s support followed his previous email distancing from Infantino’s plans, describing recent events as regrettable. FIFA noted that Infantino reaffirmed his backing for his secretary general.
A British media report suggested Infantino had offered Morocco the 2030 World Cup final hosting rights to gain support, which FIFA denied as false. Decisions on the hosting will be made officially by FIFA later.
The European soccer leagues, including the Premier League and La Liga, criticized the FFE proposal as dangerous. They called for governance reforms within FIFA to ensure stakeholder involvement in decisions impacting soccer’s future.
Luis Figo from Portugal called for Infantino’s resignation, accusing him of degrading the office. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed a lack of confidence in Infantino, citing governance failures.
UEFA exerted pressure by voting to boycott the World Cup if the FFE plans proceeded, and despite Infantino’s withdrawal of the proposal, FIFA leadership lost UEFA’s confidence. Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned over the issue, and COO Kevin Lamour criticized internal communication failures.
Infantino aims for a fourth term in the March elections amid rising internal and external dissent.