FIFA pledges 'full support' for Infantino and apologises for sell-off plan

FIFA Backs Infantino After Abandoned World Cup Funding Plan

FIFA's leadership has reaffirmed its support for President Gianni Infantino after an emergency meeting in Morocco, following the withdrawal of a controversial proposal to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights. The governing body also apologized to its 211 member associations for the way the plan was handled.

The meeting, held at FIFA's Africa office in Rabat, was attended by Infantino, Secretary General Mattias Grafström, and members of FIFA's management board. In a statement released afterward, FIFA said the leadership had "reaffirmed its full support" for Infantino while acknowledging that the handling of the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal should have been different.

A separate letter was sent to FIFA Council members and member associations apologising for the errors and promising a review. FIFA added that with the proposal permanently withdrawn, it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process" and would take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.

The controversy began when FIFA proposed selling a 20% stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors, a deal that could have raised around $4.2 billion for football development. The plan drew fierce criticism from UEFA and other stakeholders, who accused FIFA of poor governance and a lack of consultation. It also attracted scrutiny because of the involvement of a company with family links to US President Donald Trump.

UEFA said at the weekend that it had lost confidence in Infantino, calling the proposal a "shabby, back room, opaque deal". Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country co-hosted this year's World Cup, said he had lost faith in Infantino's leadership.

According to reports, Secretary General Mattias Grafström sent an internal memo to staff on Tuesday, describing the situation as "a sad and reproachable series of events". However, following Wednesday's meeting, Grafström and the management board publicly backed Infantino.

Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro reportedly resigned in protest at the plan, and UEFA Vice-President Laura McAllister said the controversy had brought Infantino's leadership to a crisis point.

The apology and show of support come ahead of FIFA's presidential election next year, and as the fallout from the abandoned proposal continues to reverberate through the sport's governing bodies.