FIFA issued an apology to its members over "errors" in handling its now-scrapped controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup but said its leaders reaffirmed their support for Gianni Infantino to remain as president, despite growing criticism and calls for his removal from world leaders and soccer legends.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (C) leaves Al-Madina Stadium in Rabat following the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia.
In a statement issued after a crisis meeting in Morocco, FIFA said its secretary general Mattias Grafström and members of its management board "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino.
Infantino also reiterated his support for FIFA's leadership and Grafström—who had publicly distanced himself from the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative.
In the statement, the soccer body acknowledged that mistakes were made in the process and "the process should have been handled differently."

#gianni #president #controversial

Gianni Infantino's position as Fifa president is verging on untenable as member **** ociations begin to withdraw their support for his re-election following his disastrously botched bid to privatise the World Cup.
Infantino planned to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors under the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), but this was met with intense backlash from football federations, with Uefa threatening to boycott Fifa tournaments if the plans were passed.
The response forced a climbdown from the Swiss-Italian but that is far from the end of the story. Many footballing bodies say they have "lost confidence" in Infantino as president, with the Asian Football Confederation calling for an "urgent review of [Fifa's] governance".
And now Infantino has summoned senior Fifa officials to a crisis meeting with a number of his allies dwindling after Fifa's secretary general Mattias Grafstrom's criticism, while the president of the Jordan FA publicly accused Infantino of "blackmail".
Before he eventually scrapped the plans, senior figures inside Fifa turned on the president. Infantino's long-term adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, chose to quit in protest over the initial proposals, while Fifa's chief operating officer said that Infantino "deceived" staff over his plans.

#infantino #enterprise

Embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for "mistakes" over his controversial World Cup sell-off plan but senior leaders at world football's governing body have "reaffirm[ed] their full support" for him after a crisis meeting on Wednesday.
Infantino was forced to abandon his plans – namely to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa tournaments to private investors – after public uproar last week, with Uefa confirming a boycott of Fifa events if the plan was voted through.
On Tuesday, Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused Infantino of "blackmail" and, under immense pressure, with his job seemingly on the line, the Swiss-Italian called an emergency meeting with the Fifa management board in Morocco.
Gianni Infantino has retained the support of Fifa (PA Wire)
A letter released by Fifa on Wednesday evening was signed by both Infantino and Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, even though the latter is understood to have written an email to staff on Tuesday in which he described Infantino's proposal as "sad and reproachable".

#infantino

By Rohith Nair
Aug 5 (Reuters) - FIFA said on Wednesday it had apologised to its member ***** ociations for mistakes made over its abandoned proposal to sell commercial rights linked to the World Cup, as the governing body's leadership reaffirmed its support for president Gianni Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Following the meeting in Rabat, attended by Infantino, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and members of FIFA's management board, FIFA said its leadership had reaffirmed its full ‌support for the president while acknowledging that the handling of the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal should have been different.
In a statement, FIFA said a separate letter had been sent to FIFA Council members and the 211 member ***** ociations apologising ‌for the errors and promising a review.
It added that, with the proposal withdrawn, FIFA would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process" and would take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.

#support

FIFA's leadership has reaffirmed its "full support" for President Gianni Infantino, days after he was forced to abandon a plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights that triggered a rare revolt within world football's governing body.
The declaration followed a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, called after mounting pressure from UEFA and other confederations threatened to derail Infantino's expected re-election to a fourth term at FIFA's Congress in March.
In a statement, FIFA said Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom and members of its management board reiterated their backing for Infantino as "the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member ******* ociations".
Infantino reciprocated support for Grafstrom and FIFA's administration.
Football fans photograph a FIFA logo outside FIFA global headquarters on July 30, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland [Robert Hradil/Getty]

#wednesday

A groveling Gianni Infantino has issued an apology for attempting to sell the FIFA World Cup, confirming that the controversial proposal has been SCRAPPED. Infantino has faced fierce backlash since FIFA announced last week — following media reports breaking the story — a plan to sell its competitions to private investors, igniting fury across the soccer community at every level.
UEFA members unanimously voted to boycott FIFA tournaments if the proposal moved forward, while FIFA chief ******* ne Wenger publicly opposed it. An emergency meeting was convened in Morocco on Wednesday amid relentless criticism and continuous leaks surrounding the plans, as per The Mirror.
Infantino has now conceded defeat with a formal apology — though he intends to fight on and retain his position as FIFA President, despite widespread demands for his resignation. A letter co-signed by Infantino and FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom states: "We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.
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#World #gianni

Embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for "mistakes" over his controversial World Cup sell-off plan but senior leaders at world football's governing body have "reaffirm[ed] their full support" for him after a crisis meeting on Wednesday.
Infantino was forced to abandon his plans – namely to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa tournaments to private investors – after public uproar last week, with Uefa confirming a boycott of Fifa events if the plan was voted through.
On Tuesday, Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused Infantino of "blackmail" and, under immense pressure, with his job seemingly on the line, the Swiss-Italian called an emergency meeting with the Fifa management board in Morocco.
Gianni Infantino has retained the support of Fifa (PA Wire)
A letter released by Fifa on Wednesday evening was signed by both Infantino and Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, even though the latter is understood to have written an email to staff on Tuesday in which he described Infantino's proposal as "sad and reproachable".

#infantino #World

After the crisis meeting he allegedly convened himself, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has now commented on the much-criticized plan to sell the World Cup, which he had already abandoned earlier after a wave of outrage from all sides.
In a letter published by the world governing body on Wednesday night, signed by both Gianni Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström, it says: "We acknowledge that mistakes were also made after the plan was leaked to the media."
It is Infantino's first apology since the controversial plans became public, which had envisaged selling shares in football's biggest tournament to private investors.
"We sincerely apologize for these mistakes and commit to ensuring that they will not happen again," the letter continues.
A necessary review is to be carried out, and the report presented to the FIFA Council at its next meeting.

#gianni #World #letter #mattias

President Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday, a source told AFP, amid a wave of criticism over his now shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investment.
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within FIFA, over his handling of the proposal, and calls for him to step down have grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.
One of those believed to be at the meeting is FIFA's secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal email to staff criticising the plan was leaked on Tuesday.
Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer -- who is holding the meeting in FIFA's Africa regional office in Sale close to Rabat -- was in Morocco to celebrate last week's Feast of the Enthronement.
Morocco is to co-host the 2030 World Cup and Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few to have publicly supported Infantino since the humiliating climbdown.

#morocco #since #last

Gianni Infantino has called a "crisis meeting" with the organization's top officials for this Wednesday (5) in Morocco, according to The Times.
The FIFA president's goal is to contain the growing pressure he has been facing since the initiative - later abandoned - to market the World Cup's rights.
The decision comes after more episodes that have reinforced his isolation.
Mattias Grafström, FIFA's secretary-general, has become the latest ally to criticize Infantino's plan.
In an internal email sent to the organization's staff, Grafström described the project as "a sad and deplorable sequence of events."

#wednesday #times #fifa #mattias

Gianni Infantino has called an emergency meeting of FIFA staff in Rabat on Wednesday following comments by ***** ne Wenger that ramped up the pressure on the president, the Press ***** ociation understands.
Former ***** nal manager Wenger, FIFA's chief of global football development, issued a statement saying he was "not involved" in the plan to seek private investment in a company to run the World Cup but that the decision to withdraw it was "absolutely necessary and beyond question".
PA understands the meeting in Morocco was called after the weekend and is also to include secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and the FIFA management board, which includes the organisation's chief of staff Daniel O'Toole, chief legal officer Emilio Garcia Silvero, chief of member ***** ociations Elkhan Mammadov, HR chief Kimberly Morris, media director Bryan Swanson and communications director David Farrelly.
Grafstrom, the second most senior figure in the organisation after Infantino, is also understood to have contacted FIFA staff addressing the "sad and reproachable series of events" of the last week "which thankfully concluded with the project being permanently abandoned".
The plan to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA's tournaments, first emerged in reports by The Times and the Financial Times last Tuesday, before FIFA issued confirmation of some of the details. The most controversial aspect was the idea to sell 20% of FFE to private investors.

#wenger #grafstrom #understands

Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino intensified on Tuesday, with opposition emerging from within world football's governing body as well as from external critics over his since-abandoned proposal to open the World Cup to private investment.
Former **** nal manager **** ne Wenger, appointed in 2019 by Infantino as FIFA's chief of global football development, said in a statement on Tuesday that "the decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question".
His remarks followed hot on the heels of an extraordinary internal email to FIFA staff, seen by AFP, in which secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom appeared to distance himself from Infantino on the issue.
Previously seen as close to Infantino, Grafstrom describes the fiasco surrounding the plan as "a sad and reproachable series of events".
He adds: "Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue."

#fifa #Football #pressure

Gianni Infantino has come under more pressure from within Fifa after the governing body's secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described the abandoned World Cup sell-off plans as a "sad and reproachable series of events" in an internal email to staff.
Swedish official Grafstrom, who is one of Fifa's top bosses, did not mention the embattled Fifa president by name but said in his email that while the turmoil surrounding Fifa is "difficult to comprehend and accept.... individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go". Grafstrom's email to Fifa staff was first reported by Sky News.
Mattias Grafstrom has warned that 'individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go' (David Davies/PA Wire)
It comes after ***** ne Wenger, Fifa's chief of global football development, said Infantino's decision to abandon his sell-off plan was "absolutely necessary and beyond question".
The former ***** nal manager claimed to have no knowledge of the plans before reports of Fifa selling off stakes in its tournaments to private investors emerged in the media. He said that Fifa has to serve the game with "commitment, transparency, and integrity".

#fifa #mattias #sell #individuals