Fifa acknowledges 'errors' but Gianni Infantino remains president

Fifa's governing body issued an apology to its members for errors made during the now-abandoned proposal to sell commercial rights to the World Cup. Despite this admission, the organization reaffirmed its support for president Gianni Infantino following a crisis meeting in Morocco. Infantino and Fifa faced significant criticism for the plan, which aimed to sell a 20% stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors for approximately $4.2 billion.

The idea was vehemently opposed by the European governing body UEFA, even threatening to withdraw from Fifa competitions. As other member boards joined in opposition, Fifa was compelled to withdraw the proposal almost immediately. The world body acknowledged the mistakes made and stated that the process should have been handled differently, ensuring member associations felt included.

Infantino, who has been president since 2016, faced much of the criticism, including from within Fifa, raising questions about his re-election next March. However, Fifa presented a united front, with the secretary general and members of the FIFA Management Board reaffirming their full support for Infantino during the meeting.