FIFA president Gianni Infantino has issued an apology for the "mistakes made" in the controversial proposal to sell the World Cup. In a letter co-signed with FIFA's Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, Infantino expressed regret for the first time since the plan was announced and later withdrawn.
Proposal faced widespread opposition
The Swiss official's proposal was rejected by three continental confederations before its withdrawal and prompted UEFA to threaten a boycott of FIFA competitions until it was scrapped.
The letter states: "We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media. We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting."
Support reaffirmed despite resignation calls
Despite calls for Infantino to resign as FIFA president, the letter continues by stating that Grafstrom and FIFA's Management Board "reaffirm their full support" for the chief. The letter has been published following a meeting with FIFA board members in Morocco on Wednesday.
Mattias Grafstrom, the secretary general mentioned in the statement, is believed to have sent an email to staff on Tuesday in which he characterised Infantino's proposal to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to oversee FIFA competitions and sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors as "sad and reproachable".
Restoring confidence
Wednesday night's statement painted a more unified picture in the wake of the Rabat summit. The document states that following the gathering they hope to "help restore confidence in the organisation" and "continue to develop the game around the world". It goes on to say that following the withdrawal of the plan, the organisation will "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity".
Infantino was pictured smiling at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in the aftermath of the emergency board meeting. The letter pushes back against any suggestion of wrongdoing, asserting that the plan broke no rules, in what appears to be a bid to shore up Infantino's position as president amid widespread calls for his resignation.
The emergency talks were triggered as his presidency came under increasing threat, with both UEFA and CONCACAF — the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean — calling for Infantino to stand down. For the president to be removed from office, 106 nations would need to vote in favour of such a motion.
