{
  "id": 14852747,
  "title": "Fifa chief Infantino apologises over failed World Cup sell-off but fails to satisfy council members",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/fifa-chief-infantino-apologises-over-failed-world-cup-sell-off-but",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T02:27:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/10/16/fifa-chief-infantino-apologises-over-failed-world-cup-sell-off-but-fails-to-satisfy-council-members/239290"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\"\n\nInfantino'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process related to the Fifa Forward Enterprise project.\" He reaffirmed that the initiative has been \"permanently withdrawn and will not reappear in any form.\"\n\nFIFA confirmed plans to establish a $6.35-billion development fund for the next four years, financed partially through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.",
  "summary": "ZURICH, Oct 16 — Fifa president Gianni Infantino gave “no satisfactory answers” when grille...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "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"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Today",
        "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-14796057",
        "published": "2026-10-15T21:40:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BusinessDay Nigeria",
        "title": "FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup: Flamingos target winning start against Poland",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/fifa-u17-womens-world-cup-flamingos-target-winning-start-against",
        "published": "2026-10-15T21:58:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}