FIFA’s Management Board has reaffirmed its full support for President Gianni Infantino, days after the organisation apologised to its 211 member associations over a collapsed plan to bring private investment into football’s flagship competitions.
The apology followed a management board meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, where officials admitted mistakes were made in handling the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
Infantino had come under mounting pressure after unveiling plans for a commercial subsidiary to oversee competitions including the World Cup and Club World Cup. FIFA said the venture could have been valued at around $20 billion and drawn up to $4.2 billion in private investment.
The plan promised each member association a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, alongside a jump in funding for the 2027–2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
But the proposal triggered strong pushback, especially from UEFA, which called it a “shabby, back-room, opaque deal.” CONCACAF demanded “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency,” and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had lost confidence in the FIFA president.
Infantino withdrew the proposal last Saturday, saying: “Our purpose has always been and will always be to unite and improve.”
After Wednesday’s meeting, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and the Management Board issued a statement confirming they had “reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations.”
The statement acknowledged that the FIFA Council and member associations should not have felt excluded from the process, and admitted further errors occurred after the proposal was leaked to the media.
Infantino and Grafstrom also sent a joint letter to the Council, vice-presidents and member associations offering a sincere apology and pledging the mistakes would not be repeated.
FIFA confirmed the FFE proposal has now been fully abandoned. “A review will now be conducted, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting,” the governing body said, adding that the plan is “now off the table.”
Notably, Grafstrom — whose internal memo criticising the proposal had leaked earlier in the week, reportedly calling the affair “a sad and reproachable series of events” — was among those present in Rabat.
Despite the fallout, Infantino attended the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Zambia and Malawi in Rabat, alongside Moroccan football federation president Fouzi Lekjaa, one of his few vocal allies during the crisis. Lekjaa called the withdrawal a “wise” decision made in the interest of “unity and cohesion,” and renewed his support for Infantino’s decade-long tenure.
FIFA also dismissed reports that Morocco had been promised the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for backing the investment plan, branding the claim “false and misleading.” A decision on the final’s host venue, for a tournament co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, will be made “in due course,” the governing body said.
READ ALSO:
- Nigerian Navy Seizes Over 85,000 Litres of Stolen Crude, Shuts Illegal Refineries in Rivers
- Akume: Tinubu To Deepen Engagement With Catholic Bishops, Faith Groups
- Osun Govt Denies ₦11bn Looting Allegation, Says ‘No Funds to Steal’
- FIFA Management Board Backs Infantino After Apology Over Failed $20bn Investment Plan
- EFCC: Only One Osun Account Frozen, Not Entire State Treasury
