Newsletters
FIFA's senior leadership has reaffirmed its support for President Gianni Infantino after a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, addressing the fallout from a withdrawn $20 billion proposal involving the commercial rights of the World Cup.
The world football governing body said Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and members of the FIFA Management Board continued to fully back Infantino. In return, Infantino expressed his support for Grafstrom and the wider FIFA administration.
FIFA said the meeting was intended to strengthen its governance, rebuild confidence and bring its leadership together ahead of upcoming tournaments and organizational challenges.
The controversy centered on a proposal to sell commercial and operational rights connected to the World Cup, which FIFA later pulled back following widespread criticism.
FIFA acknowledged that mistakes had been made during the process and admitted that the FIFA Council and national member associations had been left feeling excluded.
According to the federation, the process should have been handled differently, although excluding council members and national associations had not been the intention.
A separate letter apologizing for the errors was sent to FIFA Council members and national associations. FIFA also said it would carry out a review and present its findings at the council's next scheduled meeting.
FIFA confirmed that the proposal had now been fully withdrawn, effectively taking the potential World Cup rights deal off the table.
At the same time, the organization adopted a firm position against criticism it considers damaging to its credibility.
FIFA said it "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."
The federation said the outcome of the Rabat meeting would help restore confidence in the organization while allowing its leadership to move forward in a united and transparent manner.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
