FIFA President Gianni Infantino will remain in his post after a crisis meeting in Morocco, despite facing significant backlash and calls for his resignation over a now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Infantino summoned FIFA executives to Rabat for emergency talks following the leak of proposals to sell commercial and event operations of the World Cup to private investors for a reported £3.1 billion. The plan faced widespread opposition, including internal dissent within FIFA and public criticism from European football's governing body, UEFA.
Following the meeting, FIFA issued a statement acknowledging that mistakes were made and that the organization has apologized to its football associations. The statement indicated that a review of the processes will be conducted. Crucially, it added that FIFA's secretary general, Mattias Grafstrom, and other management board members in attendance "reaffirmed their full support for the president."
"FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation," the statement read. "There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework."
The controversy intensified with former Portugal star Luis Figo launching a scathing attack, describing the aborted plan as the "lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed" and a "grubby, underhand plot." Figo, who had initially backed Infantino in 2015, branded the FIFA president a "relic who should have no part in football’s future" and accused him of "a litany of abuses," referencing other recent decisions, including the suspension of a ban for USA player Folarin Balogun and the World Cup final half-time show.
UEFA had previously declared a lack of confidence in Infantino, calling the proposal a "shabby, back room, opaque deal." Other figures, such as FIFA's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, reportedly felt "deceived" by the project, and Arsene Wenger, chief of global football development, distanced himself from the plan.
Despite the mounting pressure, which included calls for his resignation from UEFA and CONCACAF, as well as accusations of blackmail from Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein, Infantino has chosen to fight on. The FIFA president is set to face re-election in March, where he would need 106 votes from FIFA's 211 member associations to secure another term.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom had previously described the situation as "sad and reproachable" in an internal memo to staff, noting that "individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go." However, he was later pictured with Infantino at a women's Africa Cup of Nations game shortly before the FIFA statement was released.