Gianni Infantino will remain in his role as president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) after receiving direct support from senior executives and the executive committee. The meeting, where the key decision was made, took place on Wednesday at FIFA’s African office in Rabat, Morocco, with Infantino personally convening members of the body to review the current situation within the organisation.
Criticisms intensified following Infantino’s proposed sale of commercial and events operations to private investors. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) stated on Friday that it had lost confidence in Infantino, describing the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) as a ‘dirty, secret, opaque deal’. Much of the resistance comes from within the highest levels of FIFA, where many executives have expressed concern over the transparency of the proposed changes.
During the meeting in Rabat, Infantino apologised for errors in his private investment plans. The secretary general, Mattias Grafström, attended the Wednesday meeting, describing the situation in an internal memo to staff as ‘a sad and regrettable sequence of events’. Nevertheless, Grafström and the executive board reaffirmed their full support for Infantino in a joint statement following the meeting.
The governing body issued a formal statement of support four hours after the meeting concluded, formalising Infantino’s retention of the role. Infantino was first elected as FIFA president in 2016, and this event marks a key moment in his tenure following one of the greatest challenges in his leadership.
