FIFA president Gianni Infantino (AP Photo)

FIFA has sought to draw a line under the controversy surrounding Gianni Infantino’s abandoned World Cup sell-off plan, saying senior officials have reaffirmed their full support for the president after the governing body admitted mistakes and issued an apology over the handling of the proposal.The governing body made the announcement following a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA’s leadership attempted to present a united front amid mounting calls for governance reform and even demands for Infantino to step down.The controversy stemmed from Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in future FIFA World Cup profits through a commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The plan was withdrawn after facing fierce opposition from stakeholders across world football.

FIFA apologises, backs Infantino

In an official statement, FIFA acknowledged that errors had been made in the way the proposal was handled.Referring to the FFE project, the organisation said “mistakes made were acknowledged” and admitted that the “process should have been handled differently.”FIFA also revealed that a letter had been sent to its Council members and national associations apologising for the handling of the matter and committing to “ensure they do not happen again.”Despite the controversy, FIFA insisted that Infantino continues to enjoy the backing of the organisation’s leadership.According to the statement, Secretary General Mattias Grafström and members of FIFA’s management board who attended the Rabat meeting “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino’s presidency.The governing body also confirmed that the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal is “now off the table.”“There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience,” FIFA added.The show of support is particularly significant because Grafström had earlier distanced himself from the proposal in an email to FIFA staff, describing the past week as a “sad and reproachable series of events.” FIFA also said Infantino had reiterated his support for the secretary general.

Pressure refuses to ease

While FIFA has attempted to close ranks, criticism of Infantino continues to grow.The association of European Leagues, representing competitions including the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, called the FFE proposal “dangerous” and said it raised “serious questions about FIFA’s governance, internal culture and decision-making.”The organisation demanded sweeping governance reforms and warned that FIFA “must not be allowed to continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions,” while also opposing any further expansion of the men’s World Cup to 64 teams.Former Portugal captain Luis Figo also urged Infantino to resign, accusing him of having “debased the office.”Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney added to the pressure, saying he no longer had confidence in the FIFA president and describing the failure to consult senior advisers as a “fatal” governance failure.FIFA also dismissed reports that Infantino had promised Morocco the right to host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for political support, calling the claims “false and misleading.”Infantino is expected to seek a fourth and final term as FIFA president at elections scheduled for March, but the fallout from the failed World Cup commercialisation plan has left his leadership facing its biggest challenge in years.