FIFA president Gianni Infantino has rejected calls to resign and apologised for the "mistakes" surrounding his controversial World Cup sell-off plan, following seven hours of crisis talks in Morocco.
Full support reaffirmed
The FIFA management board reaffirmed its "full support" for Infantino, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who had earlier labelled the plans "a sad and reproachable series of events". The statement followed a meeting where Infantino was forced to abandon his proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors after public uproar and a Uefa boycott threat.
Apology and review
"We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE)," read part of the statement. "It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process, and it should have been handled differently. We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media. We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting."
Calls for resignation rejected
Any suggestion that Infantino might resign or be forced out was dismissed with a clear show of support. "For the avoidance of doubt, the FIFA Secretary General and the Management Board in attendance reaffirm their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations," the statement said. The board agreed that processes and communications can be improved, and expressed confidence that the meeting's outcomes will strengthen FIFA's governance and restore confidence.
Project off the table
The proposal, which would have required approval from member associations and the FIFA Council, is now withdrawn. The statement added: "With the project withdrawn, FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its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 we will continue to improve our 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."
