FIFA backs Gianni Infantino and apologises for abandoned World Cup investment plan

FIFA’s senior leadership has given Gianni Infantino its “full support” while apologising for the way a controversial proposal to open the World Cup to private investment was handled.

The governing body acknowledged that “errors” were made both during the development of the plan and after details were leaked to the media. However, after a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, FIFA said the proposal was now withdrawn and would not be taken forward.

Infantino has faced growing criticism over the plan, including from inside FIFA, with calls for him to resign increasing after he abandoned it last Saturday.

The proposal centred on the creation of a new commercial subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). FIFA said the venture could have raised up to $4.2bn, based on a valuation of $20bn, and would have been responsible for staging competitions including the World Cup and Club World Cup.

If approved, the scheme would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20m in early 2027. It would also have increased their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8m to $20m.

Rather than being welcomed as a financial incentive, the proposal triggered a fierce backlash. UEFA, European football’s governing body, went as far as threatening to boycott the World Cup, the sport’s most prestigious tournament.

Infantino withdrew the plan on Saturday, saying: “Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve.”

Following Wednesday’s meeting, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and members of the FIFA Management Board who attended said they had “reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations”.

“The meeting also addressed the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, where mistakes made were acknowledged,” the statement added.

“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 of the process will now be carried out, with a report due to be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting. FIFA confirmed that the FFE proposal, which would have required approval from both the member associations and the council, was “off the table”.

Grafstrom was reportedly among those present in Rabat. An internal email in which he criticised the plan was leaked on Tuesday.

Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer, was in Morocco to mark last week’s Feast of the Enthronement. Later on Wednesday, he attended the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Zambia and Malawi at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat.

An AFP photographer saw Infantino at the stadium entrance alongside Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan football federation. Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup, while Lekjaa has been one of the few senior football figures to publicly support Infantino since the withdrawal of the proposal.

Last Saturday, Lekjaa described the decision to abandon the plan as a “wise” step taken in the interests of “unity and cohesion”. He also repeated his support for Infantino and “all the initiatives aimed at the development of world football” during Infantino’s 10 years as FIFA president.

The controversy has damaged Infantino’s position after a period in which he had been benefiting from the success of the expanded World Cup. The tournament was the largest in history, featuring 48 teams and hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Infantino had appeared likely to secure a fourth and final term at FIFA’s election in Rabat next March, with no rival having announced a candidacy.

That confidence began to disappear last Tuesday, when UEFA described the proposed privatisation of the World Cup as a “shabby, back room, opaque deal” devised by Infantino.

“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said.

CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North and Central America, called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency” and criticised Infantino’s “poor governance and leadership”.

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country co-hosted the 2026 World Cup, said he no longer had confidence in Infantino’s ability to lead FIFA.