Infantino Apologizes for Mistake, But Remains FIFA President

At an emergency meeting of the FIFA Council in Morocco, the president of the global football organization, Gianni Infantino, admitted that he had made "mistakes" by promoting a plan for partial privatization of international tournaments. Thus, he secured the support of the organization's leadership and retained his position, writes the BBC.

A statement of support for Infantino was published four hours after the meeting concluded at FIFA's African office in Rabat.

Infantino's proposal for regional confederations to agree to sell stakes in tournaments in exchange for a quick payment of 40 million dollars caused a wave of indignation, primarily from UEFA. Faced with such a sharp reaction, the Swiss withdrew his plan, but critics were not satisfied and continued to demand the resignation of the FIFA president.

There was also considerable dissatisfaction within FIFA itself. For example, in an internal memo obtained by the BBC, the organization's Secretary General, Mattias Grafstrom, described what happened as a "sad turn of events that can be blamed" on Infantino. Grafstrom was also present at the meeting in Rabat.

Following the meeting, a letter was prepared and reviewed by the BBC. It was signed by Infantino and Grafstrom, addressing the document to all national and regional football organizations. They offered "sincere apologies" for the mistakes made and "promised not to allow similar incidents in the future".

The authors of the letter also made it clear that they consider the leak of the plan to the media to be one of the mistakes. The Times first reported on it on July 28. FIFA stated that it "will no longer tolerate" attacks on its "principles of integrity, good governance, and adherence to established procedures" and will take all necessary measures to protect its name and reputation.

Can Infantino Be Removed?

Criticism of the FIFA president truly does not subside. Just in recent days, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country, along with the USA and Mexico, hosted the last World Cup, stated that he had lost confidence in Gianni Infantino.

Former Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Portugal national team footballer Luis Figo, who also previously vied for the position of FIFA head, called on Infantino to resign immediately.

“Infantino has disgraced the position he promised to glorify. It is too late for him to save his honor, but it is not too late to save football,” Figo stated.

At the same time, Infantino intends to fight for his last permitted presidential term. This time, he may face serious competitors.

Candidates for the position of FIFA head must put forward their candidacies no later than November 18. The elections will take place at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027. The winner must receive at least 106 votes out of 211 national football federations.

Some of these federations have already stated that they will not vote for Infantino. The Football Association of Wales has already taken this stance, and it is expected that the Football Association of England will soon make a similar decision.

However, outside of Europe, Infantino has significantly fewer irreconcilable opponents. Even in recent days, when his fate seemed to hang by a thread, his candidacy was publicly supported by Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Philippines.

Infantino's plan was rejected not only by UEFA but also by the confederations of Asia, as well as North and Central America and the Caribbean countries (CONCACAF). However, after the plan was withdrawn, they reacted much more reservedly. CONCACAF criticized FIFA's leadership but did not call for its resignation. The Asian Football Confederation made no statements at all.

UEFA, despite its influence, does not have realistic means to remove Infantino. To achieve this goal, it would have to secure the support of African countries, for whom Infantino's presidency has become a source of rather significant financial inflows.

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