FIFA's management board has reaffirmed its full support for President Gianni Infantino after he was forced to abandon a plan to sell stakes in a company that would run the World Cup to private investors. The proposal faced opposition from three continental confederations and led to UEFA threatening to boycott FIFA competitions.
Crisis meeting in Morocco
Infantino held a crisis meeting with senior FIFA executives in Morocco on Wednesday. A statement from the global governing body said: "The FIFA secretary general and members of the FIFA management board reaffirmed their full support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations."
The statement added that Infantino reiterated his support for the secretary general and the administration for their work in delivering his vision. It also said that "mistakes were acknowledged" regarding the plan, which was called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
Plan withdrawn
The plan to sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors was rejected before being withdrawn. FIFA's secretary general, Mattias Grafstrom, reportedly described the proposal as "sad and reproachable" in an email to staff. The statement said FIFA would review what happened and present findings to the Council.
It also said: "With the project withdrawn, it was agreed that FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect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."
Criticism continues
Despite the show of unity, UEFA has said it has "lost confidence" in Infantino, and the English and Welsh FAs are among those withdrawing support for his re-election next year. FIFA's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, said the administration had been "deceived" by Infantino, and Portugal's Luis Figo called his conduct "the lowest, most deceitful, and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed".
