FIFA President Infantino to Stay on After Crisis Meeting

4 hours ago 4

August 6, 2026 | 03:50 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - FIFA's leadership on Wednesday apologized for President Gianni Infantino's plan to open the World Cup to private investment, in a crisis meeting held after growing outrage at the plan and Infantino.

In a statement, citing DW, the FIFA management board acknowledged "that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media." Infantino has since scrapped the plan.

The football body stressed it supported Infantino in staying on as president.

What did FIFA say?

"Following a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations," the statement added.

FIFA added that a separate letter had been sent to FIFA Council members and the 211 member associations apologizing and promising a review.

But the football body stressed it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, ‌good governance and due process" with the plan now withdrawn, vowing to take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.

Calls for Infantino to step down have grown since he abandoned the controversial plan on Saturday.

What was the controversial World Cup sellout plan?

The backlash was centered on a proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors in a deal that would have raised about $4.2 billion. The plan also came under fire over the involvement of a company with family links to U.S. ‌President Donald Trump, who is considered a close ally of Infantino.

European soccer's governing body UEFA had threatened to boycott the World Cup over the plan.

After the plan was abandoned, UEFA as well as CONCACAF, which runs the game in North and Central America plus the Caribbean, said it had lost confidence in the 56-year-old Swiss Italian’s leadership.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was also critical of the way the proposal was pushed without consultation.

Additionally, European Leagues, which represents more than 1,300 clubs across Europe, said FIFA must not be allowed to "continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions" that affect not just clubs and players, but also fans.

The "impractically short assessment timeline" of four weeks given by FIFA to study the plan to expand the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament was also heavily criticized.

Infantino faces a re-election bid in March at FIFA's next Congress, which will also take place in Morocco — co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup.

Until recently, him claiming a fourth term seemed a formality.

Read: FIFA Crisis Deepens as Gianni Infantino Faces Growing Calls to Resign

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