Fifa chief Infantino apologises over failed World Cup sell-off but fails to satisfy council members

On October 16, FIFA President Gianni Infantino faced questioning during a meeting to discuss his failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. However, according to senior members of football’s global governing body, Infantino offered "no satisfactory answers" to their critical inquiries. Bernd Neuendorf, head of the German Football Association and a member of the FIFA Council, expressed his disappointment stating, "We asked a great many critical questions, but there were no satisfactory answers from my point of view."

Infantino's proposal, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), aimed to open FIFA's premium competitions to private investors but was ultimately abandoned due to widespread criticism from Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF. Infantino apologized for the communication and consultation process errors, stating, "I apologised for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the Fifa Forward Enterprise project."

He reaffirmed that the initiative has been "permanently withdrawn and will not reappear in any form."

FIFA confirmed plans to establish a $6.35-billion development fund for the next four years, financed partially through the financial reserves from a commercially successful 2026 World Cup. The deadline for submitting candidacies for the upcoming election, which Infantino is running for, is November 18.