FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the football body’s Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom have acknowledged “mistakes were made” in the process of setting out the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. A letter penned by the pair to the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations included an apology for the errors made after the controversial proposal was leaked to the media.
The letter, mentioned in a statement published tonight on the FIFA website, also included a commitment to ensure they won’t happen again. The statement also read: “A review will now be conducted, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.”
Mr Infantino came under intense backlash late last month, when a plan to sell a 20% stake in the tournament to private investors.
After the scheme came to light, three football confederations, including UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC pledged to reject the proposal. The European body went further, threatening to boycott FIFA competitions until the proposal was scrapped.
The scheme was indeed scrapped late last week. While the withdrawal of the plan was welcomed by UEFA, the body said to have lost confidence in the FIFA leadership.
But tonight, Infantino was given the full support of FIFA’s management, following a meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
The latest statement from the global governing body also read: “The FIFA secretary general and members of the FIFA management board reaffirmed their full support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations.
“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 the delivery of his vision.”
The message also read: “The great work of the FIFA Administration that ensured a successful delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ was acknowledged, and which would not have been possible without the FIFA President, the FIFA Secretary General and FIFA Administration speaking as one voice and working as one team.
“In this regard, FIFA’s top management is fully confident that the outcomes of today’s 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.”