Gianni Infantino apologises to Fifa Council over World Cup sell-off plan

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed regret on Friday for his failed attempt to sell a minority stake in the organization's competitions to private investors during a three-and-a-half-hour meeting of the FIFA Council in Zurich. The apology came in response to criticism from European football leaders who remain unconvinced that Infantino is fit to continue as the head of world football's governing body.

Infantino's plan, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), aimed to create a company to manage the commercial interests of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and sell a minority stake to generate additional funding for the organization's 211 member associations. However, the proposal was not deemed a done deal and Infantino's communication and consultation process was criticized as inadequate.

German FA president Bernd Neuendorf called for a complete restart at FIFA, stating that the governance reforms needed could not be implemented with Infantino in charge. English FA chair Debbie Hewitt, a FIFA vice-president, expressed disappointment that many of her organization's specific questions remained unanswered and emphasized the need for Infantino to provide more clarity regarding the suspension of United States attacker Folarin Balogun's ban during the 2022 World Cup in North America and the controversial awarding of the Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump.