{
  "id": 14754627,
  "title": "Gianni Infantino apologises to Fifa Council over World Cup sell-off plan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/gianni-infantino-apologises-to-fifa-council-over-world-cup-sell-off-14754627",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-15T17:33:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/10/15/gianni-infantino-apologises-to-fifa-council-over-world-cup-sell-off-plan/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "Gianni Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council on Friday about his failed attempt to sell off stakes in its competitions to private investors. But the president of Fifa also faced continuing questions about his role in the $4.2 billion Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme during a three-and-a-half-hour meeting in Zurich. Infantino was also asked to provide more information regarding the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "FIFA set for rule change after Balogun red card row at the World Cup: reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/fifa-set-for-rule-change-after-balogun-red-card-row-at-the-world-cup",
        "published": "2026-10-15T10:46:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "FIFA World Cup trophy lifted by Lionel Messi goes up for sale",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/fifa-world-cup-trophy-lifted-by-lionel-messi-goes-up-for-sale",
        "published": "2026-10-15T10:54:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "At showdown FIFA meeting, Infantino apologizes for World Cup furor but leaves critics unhappy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/at-showdown-fifa-meeting-infantino-apologizes-for-world-cup-furor-but",
        "published": "2026-10-15T13:53:11.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "City AM",
        "title": "Fifa still refusing to share World Cup sell-off papers, says FA chair",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/fifa-still-refusing-to-share-world-cup-sell-off-papers-says-fa-chair",
        "published": "2026-10-15T15:57:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Gianni Infantino apologises to Fifa Council over World Cup sell-off plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/gianni-infantino-apologises-to-fifa-council-over-world-cup-sell-off",
        "published": "2026-10-15T17:33:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}