Infantino apologises for 'errors' over World Cup sell-off plan; retains support to stay FIFA chief
Rabat, Aug 6
Gianni Infantino admitted mistakes were made in the process of trying to sell off the World Cup to private investment and apologised for "errors" he made, but the senior executives "reaffirmed their full support" for him to remain FIFA president after a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Infantino was forced to withdraw his plan to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA's tournaments, after it triggered widespread opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and several national associations, as well as criticism from within FIFA.
Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who was at Wednesday's meeting, wrote in an internal memo sent to Fifa staff on Tuesday that the situation is "a sad and reproachable series of events".
Following the mounting criticism, Infantino has asked senior leaders of football's world governing body to attend the cricis meeting in Rabat.
However, in a statement following the meeting, FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance "reaffirmed their full support for FIFA chief Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations."
"In turn, the FIFA President reiterated his full support for the FIFA Secretary General and the FIFA Administration for their necessary and outstanding work in the delivery of his vision," the FIFA statement read.
Fifa said the cricis meeting also addressed the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, where "mistakes made" were acknowledged. 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."
It also said, an apology was made for these errors together in a separate letter to the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations, with a "commitment to ensure they do not happen again."
"A review will now be conducted, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting," FIFA said.
However, the statement also said with the project withdrawn, it was agreed that FIFA "will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation."
"There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework," it concluded.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The modi of football! Always full support from his inner circle while questions remain. "Reaffirmed full support" - what else would they say in a closed-door meeting? This is exactly how our political parties work too - internal democracy is just a myth. FIFA needs serious reform, not just apologies.
Wait, so they apologized but also said they won't tolerate attacks on their integrity? That's like saying "sorry I got caught, but don't question me again." Classic corporate behavior. As an Indian football fan, I just want to see the World Cup expand and give more chances to teams like ours - but this kind of governance makes me worry about the sport's future.
The way this crisis meeting happened in Morocco while the world watches - it's like our politicians flying abroad for "emergency meetings" while problems simmer at home. Infantino's apology seems sincere but the fact that 211 member associations couldn't question this earlier shows how power concentrates at the top. Need more transparency in FIFA, period.
As someone who follows football closely, this is disappointing but predictable. The big organizations always protect their own. What's interesting is how AFC and UEFA pushed back - shows that even in football, the smaller nations matter when they unite. India should learn from this - our voice in global football bodies needs to be stronger!
The apology letter must be something else! "Errors were made after the proposal was leaked to media" - so the mistake wasn't the plan itself, but getting caught? 😅 This is peak corporate-speak. At least the Asian Football Confederation stood up against this. India needs to be more proactive in such discussions rather than being a passive observer.
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