FIFA President Gianni Infantino Apologises for FFE Scandal but Refuses to Resign
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has officially apologised for the “mistakes” he made regarding the controversial plan to sell competition shares to private investors.
Despite facing sharp criticism, Infantino is confirmed to remain as FIFA President after receiving full support from senior executives at a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday (5/8) local time.
Infantino summoned management board members to FIFA’s Africa office following a wave of protests against the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which has now been scrapped.
In an official statement released four hours after the meeting ended, world football’s governing body expressed support for the president, despite significant internal tensions beforehand.
Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent a signed letter to the vice presidents, council members and 211 member associations. In the letter, they expressed a “sincere apology” for the mistakes made and committed to ensuring similar incidents do not happen again.
FIFA acknowledged errors in the communication process surrounding the FFE proposal, during which the council and member associations felt excluded from the decision-making process.
“It was not our intention to make the council and associations feel sidelined. This process should have been handled differently,” FIFA’s official statement read.
Previously, Infantino offered US$40 million (around Rp640 billion) to each association if they supported private investment in FIFA tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, through the new FFE subsidiary. The plan was leaked to the media in late July and sparked global outrage.
Despite internal support, Infantino’s standing internationally remains shaky. UEFA has openly stated it has lost confidence in the 56-year-old’s leadership. The European football federation described the FFE proposal as a “sordid and non-transparent backroom deal”.
Sharp criticism also came from football legend Luis Figo. The former Real Madrid and Barcelona star urged Infantino to resign immediately.
“Infantino has debased the office he promised to elevate. It is too late to save his dignity, but not too late to save football,” Figo asserted.
Besides Figo, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also expressed a vote of no confidence. At association level, Wales and England have reportedly begun withdrawing their support for Infantino’s re-election.
Although Europe is in turmoil, Infantino still has a solid power base in Asia and Africa. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, DR Congo and the Philippines continue to voice their support.
This loyalty is not unrelated to the Fifa Forward programme, which provides regular funding of US$8 million (around Rp128 billion) in each three-year cycle to member associations.
FIFA stressed that despite the procedural errors, all actions taken remain compliant with the organisation’s regulatory framework. They hope the outcome of the meeting in Morocco can strengthen governance and restore public trust, although legal challenges from UEFA still loom on the horizon.