Gianni Infantino apologises for ‘mistakes’ over World Cup sell-off plan but retains Fifa support

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Embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for “mistakes” over his controversial World Cup sell-off plan but senior leaders at world football’s governing body have “reaffirm[ed] their full support” for him after a crisis meeting on Wednesday.

Infantino was forced to abandon his plans – namely to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa tournaments to private investors – after public uproar last week, with Uefa confirming a boycott of Fifa events if the plan was voted through.

On Tuesday, Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused Infantino of “blackmail” and, under immense pressure, with his job seemingly on the line, the Swiss-Italian called an emergency meeting with the Fifa management board in Morocco.

Gianni Infantino has retained the support of Fifa (PA Wire)

A letter released by Fifa on Wednesday evening was signed by both Infantino and Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, even though the latter is understood to have written an email to staff on Tuesday in which he described Infantino’s proposal as “sad and reproachable”.

It showed a far more united front than that email would suggest and saw the president admits that mistakes were made in the process of setting out his sell-off plans – his first public apology for the scheme.

“We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE),” read part of the letter.

“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.”

Infantino did say mistakes were made in the process of the World Cup sell-off plan (PA Wire)

However, any suggestion that Infantino might resign, or otherwise be forced out of his job by senior figures at the governing body, were also nipped in the bud with a clear show of support for the embattled president.

“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,” read part of the statement.

“It was discussed and agreed at the meeting that the processes, communications and interactions between the FIFA President, the FIFA Secretary General and the Management Board that support the delivery of this vision can and should always be continuously improved in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency.

“We are fully confident that the outcomes of today’s meeting will strengthen FIFA’s governance, help restore confidence in the organisation and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner while continuing our mission to develop the game around the world.”

The statement also went on to say that any attacks on Fifa’s integrity or good governance will not be accepted and seemed to suggest that now the sell-off plan has been abandoned, the whole situation should be quietly forgotten.

Infantino also said attacks on Fifa’s integrity would not be tolerated (PA)

”The proposal, which would have been subject to the approval of the FIFA Member Associations and the FIFA Council, is now off the table,” read another part of the statement. “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.”

Infantino still faces a barrage of criticism from outside Fifa however, with a number of countries having withdrawn support for his presidency ahead of the election in March 2027.

Real Madrid and Portugal legend Luis Figo, who works as an adviser for Uefa, hit out at Infantino on Wednesday and implored him to resign, saying: “I could write 10,000 words on the problems at Fifa. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go.”

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney also said he no longer has confidence Infantino, explaining he felt the Fifa president committed a “fatal” governance failure by not consulting senior advisers. “Certainly I don’t have confidence in Mr Infantino,” said Carney, who had appeared alongside Infantino at several events during the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

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