FIFA has thrown its weight behind President Gianni Infantino after a backlash over the abandoned proposal to open the World Cup to private investment, while admitting that mistakes were made in handling the controversial plan.
The football governing body’s leadership expressed “full support” for Infantino after an emergency meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, where officials addressed the crisis surrounding the now-shelved FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
The plan, which FIFA said could have raised up to $4.2 billion, was intended to create a commercial subsidiary that would oversee major competitions, including the World Cup and Club World Cup.
However, the proposal triggered widespread criticism, with UEFA describing it as an opaque deal and questioning FIFA’s leadership approach. Calls for Infantino to step down also increased following the controversy.
In a statement after the meeting, FIFA acknowledged that errors were made in the process, including after the proposal was leaked to the media.
“The meeting also addressed the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, where mistakes made were acknowledged,” FIFA said.
The organisation said the process should have been handled differently and apologised to FIFA Council members and its 211 member associations, promising that such errors would not be repeated.
FIFA confirmed that the FFE proposal had been withdrawn and was no longer under consideration.
‘Off The Table’
“Off the table,” FIFA said, adding that a review would now be conducted, with a report to be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.
Despite the criticism, FIFA’s Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board reaffirmed their support for Infantino, describing him as the only official elected by all 211 FIFA member associations.
The controversy has placed fresh pressure on Infantino, who had appeared set for a fourth and final term after overseeing the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
UEFA and CONCACAF had criticised the proposal, with UEFA accusing FIFA’s leadership of poor governance, while CONCACAF called for a wider review of Infantino’s presidency.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also questioned Infantino’s leadership, saying he no longer had confidence in the FIFA president’s ability to lead the organisation.
Infantino, who was in Morocco for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, later attended the Zambia versus Malawi match in Rabat alongside Moroccan football officials.
