RABAT, Aug 6 - FIFA apologised to its members for mistakes made over its abandoned proposal to sell commercial rights linked to the World Cup, as the governing body's leadership reaffirmed its support for president Gianni Infantino following a crisis meeting in Morocco yesterday.
The proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors in a deal worth about US$4.2 billion (approximately RM17.8 billion) prompted a fierce backlash and was withdrawn last Friday.
Infantino bore the brunt of the criticism, including from within FIFA, raising questions over his re-election bid as president next March.
“Following a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA management board in attendance reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino,” the organisation said in a statement.
“In turn, the FIFA President reiterated his full support for the FIFA Secretary General and the FIFA administration for their necessary and outstanding work in delivering his vision.”
Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent an internal memo to staff this week lamenting the “sad and reproachable series of events” that led to the project being “permanently abandoned”, two sources told Reuters.
Grafstrom's letter, which did not mention Infantino by name, said “individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go”, but FIFA's work would continue.
His remarks echoed those of FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who said last week that staff had been “deceived” over the plan, describing it as the project of one person.
FIFA’s statement yesterday noted that Infantino, who has served as president since 2016, is “the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations”.
FIFA said it had also sent a separate letter to FIFA Council members and member associations apologising for the errors and promising a review.
“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,” the statement said.
With the proposal withdrawn, FIFA said it would “no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process”.
Fierce criticism of proposal from stakeholders
The proposal, which also drew scrutiny because of the involvement of a company with family links to US President Donald Trump, prompted fierce criticism from European football's governing body UEFA and other stakeholders.
Infantino's decision to withdraw the proposal last Friday did little to ease criticism, and several European football associations have since withdrawn their support for the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian.
UEFA said it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership, a position shared by CONCACAF, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also criticised the way the proposal was presented as a fait accompli without prior consultation.
Former Portugal great Luis Figo, who had planned to run for the FIFA presidency in 2015, said Infantino should resign over the affair, while UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister told Reuters the controversy had pushed FIFA's leadership into crisis.
European Leagues, which represents more than 1,300 clubs across Europe, said on Wednesday FIFA must not be allowed to “continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions” affecting clubs, players and fans.
The organisation also criticised the “impractically short assessment timeline” of four weeks given by FIFA to study a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.
Under FIFA statutes, an Extraordinary Congress may be convened if at least 43 member associations submit a formal written request.
Infantino allies rally behind president
Despite the criticism, Infantino continues to enjoy strong backing, particularly from football associations in developing regions that rely heavily on FIFA funding.
Several leading African football administrators have publicly expressed support, with Infantino expected to rely on backing from the continent's 54 member associations. The Confederation of African Football (CAF), however, has yet to announce its position.
The executive committee of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), the smallest and least wealthy regional confederation, will meet next Wednesday to discuss its stance.
Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines have all publicly reaffirmed their support for Infantino despite the AFC's criticism.
Under FIFA rules, the vote of San Marino, whose men's national team is ranked 211th and last in the world, carries the same weight as those of World Cup champions Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Spain.
One advantage for Infantino as he seeks to extend his presidency until 2031 is the absence of a clear challenger ahead of next March's election.
Among the first football associations to back Infantino after the proposal was withdrawn was Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain and hopes to stage the final.
A FIFA spokesperson dismissed reports that Infantino had offered assurances over the hosting rights for 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,” the spokesperson said.
“A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”
