Infantino offers apology but ‘no answers’ at Fifa meeting over World Cup plan

Fifa president Gianni Infantino faced intense questioning during a meeting to discuss his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, but no satisfactory answers were provided. Bernd Neuendorf, head of the German Football Association and a member of the Fifa Council, expressed frustration, stating that while they asked many critical questions, they did not receive satisfactory answers from Infantino's perspective.

The plan, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), was ultimately abandoned following widespread criticism, particularly from European governing bodies Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF. Infantino apologized for the communication and consultation process failures related to the proposal, emphasizing that it was a mere proposal and not a finalized decision.

Despite the plan's withdrawal, Infantino reaffirmed that it has been permanently withdrawn and will not reappear in any form. The Fifa chief also stated that the FFE initiative has been permanently withdrawn and will not reappear in any form.