rewrite this title FIFA backs Infantino in vow over World Cup sell-off crisis: ‘No longer tolerate any attacks’

Gianni Infantino’s hugely controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup “should have been handled differently”, the governing body has said in a statement backing its under-pressure president.

FIFA was forced to withdraw the Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which faced fierce criticism from across the game and led to European body UEFA and its members threatening a boycott of the organisation’s tournaments.

Infantino had offered FIFA’s 211 member associations £30 million each if they backed private investment in tournaments, defending the proposals as recently as Friday before backing down and accepting the idea had created “divisions”.

What have FIFA said? Full statement on World Cup plan

Following a meeting in Rabat, the FIFA Secretary General and members of its Management Board “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino as “the only official elected” by the associations.

Earlier on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Infantino’s failure to consult senior advisers including FIFA’s chief operating officer and board members “should be fatal”.

Carney said Infantino committed a “fatal” governance failure by not consulting senior advisers, including FIFA’s chief operating officer and board members.

“It was discussed and agreed that the processes, communications and interactions between the FIFA President, the FIFA Secretary General and the FIFA Management Board that support the delivery of [Infantino’s] vision can and should always be continuously improved in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency,” FIFA said.

“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.”

Gianni Infantino: FIFA will not ‘tolerate attacks on integrity’

The statement said “mistakes” had been “acknowledged” around the investment proposal. “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 added.

“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 will now be conducted and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.

“As previously communicated, the FFE proposal, which would have been subject to the approval of the FIFA Member Associations and the FIFA Council, is now off the table.

“With the project withdrawn, it was agreed that FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation.

“There are always lessons to be learned and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience.

“In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework.

“FIFA will work closely with the relevant stakeholders to examine how it can further support the development of the game through the FIFA Forward programme for the benefit of [our] Member Associations, the Confederations and the Regional Associations.”

FIFA World Cup proposal

The initial idea was to sell a percentage of the commercial rights to FIFA’s flagship events, including the men’s and women’s World Cup, to investors and form a new subsidiary – FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

FIFA said Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner – the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared – would lead the investor group. 

It had been reported Infantino would become the chief executive of FFE and command an annual salary akin to that of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who earns around $64m a year. Infantino’s current approximate salary is $6m.