Gianni Infantino has apologised for mistakes in contentious plans to sell stakes in competitions to private investors, but will stay on as Fifa president after winning the backing of senior executives at a meeting in Morocco.
Infantino called members of the management board to Fifa’s Africa office in Rabat on Wednesday amid growing criticism of his
shelved plans, with world football’s governing body issuing a statement of support four hours after the meeting concluded.
European governing body Uefa said at the weekend it had lost confidence in Infantino, labelling the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal a “shabby, back room, opaque deal”.
Much of the criticism also came from within Fifa, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who attended Wednesday’s meeting. In an internal memo to staff on Tuesday, he described the situation as “a sad and reproachable series of events”.
However, after the meeting, Grafstrom and the management board said they “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino’s presidency.
Infantino and Grafstrom also sent a signed letter—seen by the BBC—to Fifa’s vice-presidents, council, and 211 member associations in which they offered a sincere apology for their mistakes and pledged they would not be repeated.
The pair were later photographed together at a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match in Rabat.
Infantino had promised each association $40m (£30m) in return for supporting a plan to bring private investment into Fifa tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, via a new subsidiary, FFE.
Fifa said that during Wednesday’s meeting, errors related to FFE were acknowledged, adding it was not the intention for the Fifa council and member associations to feel excluded and that the process should have been managed differently.
The organisation also admitted mistakes were made after the proposal was leaked to the media—the Times first reported Infantino’s plan on 28 July.
Even so, Fifa said it “will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process” and would take necessary steps to protect its name and reputation.
Earlier, Fifa rejected a Times report claiming Infantino had guaranteed Morocco the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support.
Fifa called the claim “false and misleading” and said the decision on the final’s venue— with the tournament also hosted by Spain and Portugal—will be taken in due course.