Gianni Infantino survives FIFA crisis meeting after apologising for World Cup sell-off mistakes

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will remain in charge of world football after surviving a marathon seven-hour crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where the governing body’s leadership reaffirmed its support for him despite days of intense pressure and calls for his resignation.

The emergency meeting was called after a controversial proposal to sell a minority stake in the commercial rights of future FIFA tournaments triggered a global backlash. The plan, which would have involved outside investors purchasing part of a newly created company responsible for FIFA competitions, was withdrawn over the weekend following strong opposition from football associations, UEFA, and senior figures within the sport.

In a letter sent to FIFA’s member associations, Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom issued a formal apology, admitting that “errors” had been made in the way the proposal was handled and that national associations should have been consulted earlier. FIFA acknowledged that the process had been poorly managed and announced that an internal review would be conducted, with a report to be presented to the next FIFA Council meeting.

The controversy had escalated rapidly in recent days. Arsène Wenger publicly distanced himself from the proposal, while Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, describing the project as “a bad deal for football.” UEFA declared that it had lost confidence in FIFA’s current leadership, and several national associations, including England and Wales, were reported to have withdrawn their support for the FIFA president. Jordan’s football federation also accused FIFA of attempting to pressure it into backing Infantino in exchange for financial assistance.

Despite the criticism, FIFA’s management board emerged from the meeting united behind Infantino. In a strongly worded statement, the organisation reaffirmed its “full support” for his leadership and warned that it would “no longer tolerate attacks on its integrity, governance and due process.” FIFA insisted that the failed proposal had not been intended to exclude member associations and promised to strengthen transparency and governance procedures going forward.

Infantino reportedly believes that he remains accountable primarily to FIFA’s 211 member associations, many of which are still seen as supportive of his leadership, particularly in Africa, South America, and parts of Asia. Political observers believe that while his position has been severely weakened, he has not yet lost the numbers required to force him from office.

Attention now turns to the months ahead. Member associations could still call for an emergency vote of no confidence, and potential challengers are being discussed across world football, including Aleksander Ceferin, Victor Montagliani, and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. The key date is expected to be 18 November, when candidates for the next FIFA presidential election must officially declare their intention to run.

For now, Infantino has survived the biggest crisis of his presidency. Whether the apology and promises of reform will be enough to restore trust across world football remains an open question.