FIFA Apologizes for World Cup Rights Deal Blunder, Reaffirms Support for Infantino

FIFA has apologized to its member associations for mistakes made in the handling of its abandoned proposal to sell commercial rights linked to the World Cup. The governing body's leadership reaffirmed its support for president Gianni Infantino following a crisis meeting in Morocco.

Following the meeting in Rabat, attended by Mr Infantino, secretary general Mattias Grafström, and members of FIFA's management board, FIFA stated that its leadership had reaffirmed its full support for the president. However, it acknowledged that the handling of the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal should have been different.

In a statement, FIFA announced that a separate letter had been sent to FIFA Council members and the 211 member associations, apologizing for the errors and promising a review.

FIFA added that, with the proposal withdrawn, it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process" and would take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.

Vehicles believed to be carrying Mr Infantino and Mr Grafström were seen leaving FIFA's Africa office in Sale after the meeting. This meeting occurred amid mounting criticism of Mr Infantino's leadership ahead of next year's presidential election.

The meeting followed the previous week's withdrawal of a proposal to sell a 20% stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors. The deal was expected to raise about $4.2 billion for football development.

The proposal had also drawn scrutiny due to the involvement of a company with family links to former US President Donald Trump. It prompted fierce criticism from European soccer's governing body UEFA and other stakeholders, who accused FIFA of poor governance and a lack of consultation.

The apology underscored FIFA's acknowledgement that mistakes had been made in the handling of the proposal for a new commercial rights body. This has become the most serious challenge to Mr Infantino's leadership since he became FIFA president in 2016, triggering a torrent of criticism from UEFA, several member associations, and senior FIFA officials over governance and consultation.

His U-turn last Friday has done little to appease these critics, most notably UEFA, which accused him of selling the soul of the game and stated it no longer has confidence in his leadership.

This controversy has cast a shadow over Mr Infantino's re-election for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March, which had appeared to be a foregone conclusion two months ago.

A handful of European federations have withdrawn their backing for the Swiss-Italian, but messages from Infantino's FIFA colleagues are also damaging.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney questioned Mr Infantino's leadership on Wednesday, stating he has lost confidence in the FIFA president after learning that senior advisers had not been consulted on the abandoned proposal.

"I don't have confidence in Mr Infantino," Mr Carney told reporters. He added that failing to inform senior executives and fellow board members of such a significant proposal "should be fatal" for any leader.

Mr Grafström had sent an internal memo to staff lamenting the "sad and reproachable series of events" that led to the project being "permanently abandoned," two sources told Reuters.

"Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue," the Swede added in the letter, which did not mention Mr Infantino by name.

His words echoed those of FIFA's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who stated last week that staff had been "deceived" over the plan, which he described as the project of one person.

Mr Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest at the plan last week. Arsene Wenger, FIFA's chief of Global Football Development, said he had not been involved in drafting the proposal and called the decision to withdraw it "absolutely necessary."

Former Portugal great Luis Figo, who had planned to run for the FIFA presidency in 2015, said Infantino should resign over the affair. UEFA Vice-President Laura McAllister told Reuters that the controversy surrounding the abandoned proposal had brought the FIFA president's leadership to a crisis point.

Mr Infantino has spent the past week in Morocco, which will co-host the World Cup in 2030. Morocco's football association has announced its continued support for him.

The meeting was widely seen as an effort to reinforce support for Mr Infantino and ensure he emerges from the crisis with enough backing to remain the favorite for re-election in March.

An Extraordinary Congress could be called if 43 or more FIFA member associations make a formal written request for one.

Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines have declared their loyalty to Mr Infantino.

Mr Infantino has consistently enjoyed significant support away from the traditional heartlands of the game, where many football associations rely on FIFA's financial assistance to operate.

However, European Leagues, representing over 1,300 clubs across Europe, stated that FIFA must not be allowed to "continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions" that affect clubs, players, and fans.

It also criticized the "impractically short assessment timeline" of four weeks given by FIFA to study the plan to expand the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams for the 2030 edition.

Leading African football administrators have sent messages of support as Mr Infantino looks to the continent's 54 members for backing. The African confederation (CAF) has yet to take a stance.

The executive committee of Oceania, the smallest and least wealthy regional confederation, will meet next Wednesday to discuss their approach.

Under FIFA rules, the vote of San Marino, whose men's team is ranked 211th and last in the world rankings, carries the same weight as that of World Cup winners like Brazil, Germany, Argentina, and Spain.

One clear advantage for Mr Infantino as he seeks to extend his presidency until 2031 is that no clear candidate to stand against him in March's election has yet emerged.

Jordan FA President Prince Ali bin Hussein has twice stood for the post. He made his position clear on Tuesday when he accused FIFA of "blackmail," stating it had offered to help solve problems in exchange for endorsing Mr Infantino.

"We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now," Prince Ali wrote on social media.

A FIFA spokesperson rejected reports that Mr Infantino had made promises regarding the host of the 2030 World Cup final.

"It is false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 Final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course," the spokesperson said.