FIFA leaders admitted errors occurred and apologised on Wednesday, August 5, following an emergency meeting in Rabat, Morocco, over a controversial commercial reform project. The governing body issued an official statement from its African headquarters acknowledging widespread opposition to the proposal.
The statement noted that mistakes were made after the plan leaked to the media, offering apologies and promising to prevent future occurrences. FIFA stated it never intended to exclude the FIFA Council or its member associations from discussions, admitting the situation should have been handled differently. However, the organization insisted that all actions strictly complied with existing regulatory frameworks.
Support for Gianni Infantino
Despite growing calls for his resignation, executive board members present at the meeting reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The board highlighted that Infantino remains the sole leader elected by FIFA's 211 member associations. Following the withdrawal of the plan, FIFA stated it will take all necessary measures to protect its reputation and will not tolerate further attacks on its integrity or governance.
Infantino, an Italian-Swiss administrator who has led world football for ten years, faced heavy criticism last week when details of the project became public. The proposal involved creating an external firm, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage commercial operations and tournaments like the World Cup using private investment. Pressure from regional governing bodies UEFA and Concacaf ultimately forced Infantino to abandon the scheme ahead of his planned re-election campaign in March 2027, where he currently stands as the sole candidate.
