FIFA has apologised to its member associations over the handling of a controversial proposal to sell a stake in the organisation’s future commercial rights, while reaffirming its support for president Gianni Infantino.
The development follows a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, after FIFA abandoned plans to sell a 20% stake in a newly created commercial rights entity to private investors.
The proposed deal was expected to generate about $4.2 billion but faced strong opposition from within and outside FIFA before being withdrawn last Friday.
Infantino came under intense criticism over the proposal, with concerns raised about his leadership and prospects of securing re-election in March.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, FIFA said its secretary general and members of its management board had reaffirmed their “full support” for Infantino.
Infantino, in turn, expressed his backing for Secretary General Mattias Grafström and the FIFA administration.
The organisation also acknowledged mistakes in how the commercial rights proposal was handled.
FIFA said a letter had been sent to members of the FIFA Council and its member associations apologising for the errors and promising to review the process.
“It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA member associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently,” FIFA said.
Grafström reportedly told FIFA staff in an internal memo that the events surrounding the proposal had been a “sad and reproachable series of events”. He said the project had now been permanently abandoned, while stressing that FIFA’s work would continue.
The controversy has also prompted criticism from several major football stakeholders.
European football governing body UEFA said it had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership, while CONCACAF has also expressed concerns.
The Asian Football Confederation criticised the manner in which the proposal was presented without sufficient consultation.
Former Portugal international Luis Figo has called for Infantino to resign, while UEFA Vice President Laura McAllister said the controversy had pushed the FIFA president’s leadership into a crisis.
European Leagues, which represents more than 1,300 clubs across the continent, also called on FIFA to stop making unilateral decisions that could affect clubs, players and supporters.
The organisation separately criticised FIFA over what it described as an “impractically short” four-week assessment period for its proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.
Under FIFA's rules, an Extraordinary Congress can be convened if at least 43 member associations formally request one.
Infantino retains support
Despite the backlash, Infantino continues to have significant support, particularly among football associations in regions that rely heavily on FIFA funding.
Several prominent African football officials have publicly backed the FIFA president, although the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has yet to adopt an official position.
Oceania’s football leadership is also expected to discuss its position at an executive committee meeting next week.
Several Asian football associations, including Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines, have expressed continued support for Infantino despite the AFC’s criticism of the commercial rights proposal.
Infantino’s position is also strengthened by FIFA’s voting system, under which every member association has an equal vote, regardless of the strength or size of its national team.
Another advantage for the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian is that no clear challenger has yet emerged ahead of the March presidential election.
Morocco was among the first associations to publicly support Infantino after the commercial rights proposal was withdrawn.
The country is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain and has expressed hopes of hosting the tournament final.
FIFA has rejected reports that Infantino promised Morocco the final in exchange for political support.
“It is false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that a decision on the venue for the final would be made by FIFA at a later stage.