FIFA president Gianni Infantino has received the “full support” of senior directors on Wednesday but world football’s governing body apologised for the controversy of the now-shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investment.
Facing a barrage of criticism following the aborted plan, FIFA’s leadership acknowledged “errors”, while nonetheless backing under-fire Infantino following a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within his organisation, over his handling of the proposal, and calls for him to step down had grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.
In a statement Wednesday, FIFA’s leadership acknowledged “that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media”.
FIFA floated the plan, saying it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
It said that, if approved, the project could provide each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
Instead of acting as a sweetener it produced a furious backlash, with European football’s governing body UEFA resorting on Thursday to the nuclear option of boycotting the sport’s jewel in the crown, the World Cup.
By Saturday, Infantino held his hands up and withdrew the plan.
“Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve,” said Infantino.
After Wednesday’s meeting in Rabat, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance said in a statement they “reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations”.
“The meeting also addressed the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, where mistakes made were acknowledged,” the statement said.
“It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently.
“It was further acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.
“In a separate letter to the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations, an apology was made for these errors together with a commitment to ensure they do not happen again.”
