Gianni Infantino has apologized for "errors" made in his controversial proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors but will remain FIFA president after receiving backing from senior executives during a meeting held on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, in Rabat, Morocco.

Infantino convened the management board at FIFA's Africa office following widespread criticism of his aborted plans involving the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary intended to attract private investment in tournaments including the men's and women's World Cups. FIFA offered member associations $40 million (£30 million) to support the proposal.

During the meeting, FIFA acknowledged that "mistakes" were made regarding the FFE proposal and that it was "not the intention" for the FIFA council and member associations to "feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently." The governing body also admitted errors occurred after the proposal was leaked to the media, with The Times breaking the story on July 28th.

Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grofstrom sent a signed letter—seen by the BBC—to FIFA's vice-presidents, council, and 211 member associations expressing their "sincere apologies" for the errors and a commitment to prevent them from recurring.

Despite this, European football's governing body UEFA stated over the weekend that it has lost confidence in Infantino, describing the FFE proposal as a "shabby, back room, opaque deal." Former footballer Luis Figo, who previously ran for FIFA presidency, called for Infantino's immediate resignation.

Outside Europe, only Jordan among the 211 member associations has publicly called for Infantino to step down.

FIFA's statement after the meeting also emphasized that the organization "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."

Sources