Rabat – FIFA’s senior leadership has reaffirmed its support for President Gianni Infantino following an emergency meeting in Morocco that addressed the internal crisis caused by the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project.
The meeting took place on Wednesday at FIFA’s regional office for Africa in Salé, near Rabat. It was attended by Infantino, Secretary General Mattias Grafström and members of the FIFA Management Board.
In a statement issued after the discussions, FIFA said Grafström and the Management Board members present had expressed their “full support” for Infantino, describing him as the organization’s only official elected by its 211 member associations.
Infantino, in turn, reaffirmed his backing for Grafström and FIFA’s administration, whose work the organization said had been essential to implementing his plans and delivering the 2026 World Cup.
The participants agreed that communication, decision-making and coordination between the president, secretary general and Management Board needed to be improved.
FIFA said the measures discussed in Rabat were intended to strengthen governance, restore confidence and allow the organization’s senior officials to work in a more united and transparent manner.
FIFA acknowledges mistakes over FFE
A central part of the meeting concerned FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE, the controversial commercial proposal that Infantino withdrew last week following strong opposition from within and outside the organization.
The plan would have created a separate company to manage FIFA’s main revenue-generating operations, including broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing, ticketing and tournament delivery.
FIFA valued the proposed entity at approximately $20 billion and considered selling a stake of up to 20% to outside investors.
The transaction could have raised around $4.2 billion, with FIFA arguing that the money would substantially increase development funding for its member associations.
Critics objected to the proposed involvement of private investors and said the project had advanced without sufficient consultation with the FIFA Council, confederations, national associations and senior members of the governing body’s own administration.
Following the Rabat meeting, FIFA acknowledged that mistakes had been made and said the process should have been handled differently. It also recognized that the Council and member associations should not have been left feeling excluded from discussions.
FIFA said an apology had been sent in a separate letter to the Council and the 211 national associations, together with a commitment to prevent similar errors in the future.
An internal review will now examine the handling of the proposal, with a report due to be presented at the next scheduled meeting of the FIFA Council.
The governing body did not provide further details about who would conduct the review or whether its conclusions would be made public.
FIFA maintained that, despite the admitted mistakes, all steps taken in connection with FFE had complied with its regulatory framework.
It also declared that the project was permanently off the table and said it would take any measures it considered necessary to defend its integrity and reputation.
Meeting follows public criticism of Infantino
The declaration of unity came after several senior figures distanced themselves from Infantino’s proposal.
Before the meeting, Grafström sent an internal message to FIFA employees describing the previous week as an extraordinary and difficult period.
He referred to a “sad and reproachable series of events” and said the FFE project had been permanently abandoned.
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour previously said employees had been “deceived” and described the initiative as the project of one person. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in opposition to the proposal, while FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger said he had not been involved and first learned about the plan through media reports.
UEFA has also said it no longer has confidence in Infantino’s leadership, while former Portugal international Luis Figo publicly called for the FIFA president’s resignation. Several European associations have withdrawn their earlier support for his re-election.
The Rabat statement therefore represents an attempt to demonstrate that Infantino retains the backing of FIFA’s day-to-day leadership despite the wider opposition.
FIFA rejects Morocco final allegation
FIFA also rejected a report suggesting that Infantino had promised Morocco the right to stage the 2030 World Cup final in return for political support.
British newspaper The Times alleged that Infantino had offered Morocco the chance to host the match as he sought to strengthen his position before FIFA’s presidential election.
A FIFA spokesperson described the allegation as “false and misleading,” stressing that Infantino had made no promise concerning the final’s location and that FIFA would make the decision in due course.
Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each stage one centenary match. FIFA has not officially selected the venue or country for the final.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation publicly endorsed Infantino’s re-election bid in May. The presidential vote will take place during the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027.
