Gianni Infantino has apologised for “errors” made in the proposed sale of minority stakes in FIFA’s major competitions to private investors but has refused to step down as president after receiving the backing of senior figures within world soccer’s governing body.
Following widespread backlash over Infantino’s plans and growing calls for him to resign, he held a meeting with FIFA officials yesterday at the organisation’s Africa office in Rabat, Morocco.
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The governing bodies for the sport in Europe (UEFA), North/Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf), and Asia (the AFC) all expressed their complete opposition to the plans unveiled by FIFA last week, called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), that would have seen sales of minority stakes in a new commercial subsidiary to outside investors.
UEFA, in particular, was a staunch advocate against the proposals, with the continental body and its member nations threatening to boycott the showpiece FIFA World Cup if it went ahead.
Much criticism also came from within FIFA, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who was at Wednesday's meeting. In an internal memo sent to FIFA staff on Tuesday, he wrote that the situation is “a sad and reproachable series of events.”
Infantino eventually scrapped the plans but has been under mounting pressure to step down as head of FIFA.
However, following yesterday’s meeting, FIFA released a statement in which Grafstrom and the management board “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino as president.
The statement read: “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, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations.
“FIFA’s top management is fully confident that the outcomes of the meeting will strengthen FIFA's governance, help restore confidence in the organisation, and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner while continuing our mission to develop the game around the world.
“The meeting also addressed the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, where mistakes made were acknowledged. 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. It was further acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.
“In a separate letter to the FIFA council and FIFA member associations, an apology was made for these errors together with a commitment to ensure they do not happen again. A review will now be conducted, and a report will be presented to the FIFA council at its next scheduled meeting.”
It continued: “As previously communicated, the FFE proposal, which would have been subject to the approval of the FIFA member associations and the FIFA council, is now off the table. With the project withdrawn, it was agreed that 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.
“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 separate letter to FIFA's vice-presidents, council, and 211 member associations was signed by Infantino and Grafstrom. The duo attended a Women's Africa Cup of Nations match together in Rabat after the meeting in an apparent show of unity.
The FFE proposal would have seen FIFA take the momentous step of selling minority stakes in a new commercial and events-based subsidiary, which would have brought in private investment in its tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups.
Through the plans, which FIFA released after it was leaked to The Times newspaper, the international body wanted to raise up to $4.2 billion through minority sales – assuming a total valuation of $20 billion in the venture – by selecting long-term investors that would have purchased minority, non-controlling interests in FFE.
FIFA said it would have gone towards creating a new funding mechanism for its member associations.
JP Morgan was engaged to work alongside FIFA on the project, and Greg Maffei, former president and chief executive of Liberty Media when the group owned Formula 1, was also involved. Capital holding company Thrive Eternal – led by the brother of US president Donald Trump's son-in-law – was set to lead the FFE investor group.
Infantino had given the member associations until September 19 to decide whether to each accept initial funding of $20 million that would have only been generated by the sale.
The controversial FIFA president, who has been leading its incessant push to secure more revenue through any means necessary in recent years, is currently running unopposed for a fourth term next year.
Yesterday, The Times reported that Infantino had promised Morocco it would host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support.
However, this was emphatically denied by FIFA, which said it was a “false and misleading” claim and that a decision on where to hold the final, with the tournament also hosted by Spain and Portugal, will be made “in due course.”
