Infantino apologises over FIFA investment proposal, retains presidency

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised for mistakes made in the handling of a controversial proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors but will remain in office after receiving the backing of the organisation's senior management.
Infantino convened a meeting of FIFA's management board in Rabat, Morocco, following growing criticism of the now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. The plan would have allowed private investment in major FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups.
Following the meeting, FIFA issued a statement acknowledging that mistakes had been made during the process. The governing body admitted that member associations and the FIFA Council should have been more closely involved and recognised that the situation was poorly managed after details of the proposal were leaked to the media.
In a joint letter to FIFA's vice-presidents, council members and its 211 member associations, Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström offered a sincere apology and pledged that similar errors would not occur again.
Despite previously criticising the handling of the proposal in an internal memo, Grafström joined the management board in reaffirming full support for Infantino's leadership.
The proposal had attracted strong opposition, particularly from UEFA, which accused FIFA of pursuing an opaque process that lacked transparency. Reports also indicated that member associations were to receive $40 million (£30 million) if they supported the proposal before it was ultimately abandoned.
FIFA also rejected claims that Infantino had promised Morocco the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final in exchange for its support, describing the allegation as false and stating that the decision on the final venue will be made at the appropriate time.