FIFA President Gianni Infantino will not step down after receiving backing from the organisation’s leadership at an emergency meeting near Rabat on Wednesday.
Infantino’s position came under pressure after details emerged of a commercialisation plan linked to the World Cup. It proposed creating a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to manage part of the commercial rights to tournaments including the World Cup.
Some shares in the company would have been offered to private investors. The proposal drew strong criticism, particularly from European governing body UEFA, which said football was not for sale.
The plan was also rejected by North American confederation CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. Even after the proposal was withdrawn, criticism from Europe continued.
UEFA said it had lost confidence in Infantino. Several countries, including Sweden and Wales, also withdrew their support for his re-election.
In a statement on Wednesday, FIFA said the meeting had addressed “mistakes made”. It said there was agreement that it had never been the intention to make members feel excluded and that the matter should have been handled differently.
FIFA said an apology had been issued in a letter to the FIFA Council and member associations, together with an assurance that the same situation would not happen again.
Infantino, who has been FIFA president since 2016, announced in April that he would seek a new term. The election is scheduled to take place at the FIFA Congress in Rabat in March 2027, and no official challenger has yet emerged.
