Following days of growing criticism, FIFA’s leadership reiterated complete support for President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, as the organization apologized for mistakes made in handling its now-abandoned proposal to expose portions of its commercial operations to private investors.
Following a closed-door emergency meeting at FIFA’s African headquarters in Salé, close to Rabat, the governing body released a statement admitting that mistakes had been made following media leaks of the proposal’s specifics.
FIFA stated that an apology had been made for those errors and that they would not happen again.
“It was acknowledged that there was never any desire to exclude the FIFA Council or FIFA member associations from the process, and that the subject should have been handled better,” the statement read.
FIFA insisted that all measures had met with its internal regulations in spite of the admission.
“Members of the FIFA leadership present reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino as the only person elected by FIFA’s 211 member associations,” the organization stated. The meeting also produced a strong show of support for Infantino, who has faced criticism from football officials and political leaders since the proposal was unveiled.
FIFA further stated that it would “no longer allow any attacks” on its integrity, governance, or decision-making processes as a result of the investment project’s withdrawal and that it would take all necessary steps to safeguard its reputation.
Additionally, Infantino reaffirmed his support for FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and the organization’s management, commending
