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Gianni Infantino has called an emergency meeting of FIFA staff in Rabat (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Under Pressure
Fifa board issues apology for World Cup sell-off plan but say Infantino has their 'full support'
Former Portugal star Luís Figo has joined the ranks of those who say they have no confidence in Infantino.
LAST UPDATE | 5 Aug
FIFA’S SECRETARY GENERAL and members of the Fifa management board have apologised for the governing body’s handling of a now shelved proposal to open the World Cup to private investment.
In a statement following an emergency meeting with Gianni Infantino in Morocco, the board and president also “reaffirmed their full support” for him as Fifa president.
The statement was first reported by Sky News journalist Rob Harris, who posted it on social media.
It said “mistakes were made” in the process that led to the sell-off proposal.
“We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again,” it said.
BREAKING: Gianni Infantino & Mattias Grafström write in leaked letter:
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) August 5, 2026
"With the project withdrawn, FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation." pic.twitter.com/rGKcW0zFjP
Pressure has been mounting on Infantino since the proposal first emerged.
Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, issued a statement on Tuesday saying he was “not involved” in the plan to seek private investment in a company to run the World Cup.
He said the decision to withdraw it was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and former Portugal star Luís Figo joined the ranks of those who say they have no confidence in Infantino.
“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go,” Figo wrote in The Daily Mail.
“Believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game.
“But what I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.”
It’s understood that two Irishmen are among the Fifa delegates in attendance at today’s emergency meeting in Morocco that was called after the weekend – the organisation’s chief of staff Dan O’Toole and communications director David Farrelly.
After serving as a senior accountant with KPMG, O’Toole first took up a role within Fifa in 2016 when he became the organisation’s finance governance programme manager.
He became the director of Fifa’s executive office in 2023.
Farrelly meanwhile started off as a journalist and later came to work for European football’s governing body Uefa.
He started off as the internet editor at Uefa and was head of communications for Uefa’s Euro 2020, before making the jump to Fifa in 2019 to become director of communications.
Other prominent members of Fifa in attendance are thought to include secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and the Fifa management board, which includes chief legal officer Emilio Garcia Silvero.
Grafstrom, the second most senior figure in the organisation after Infantino, is also understood to have contacted Fifa staff addressing the “sad and reproachable series of events” of the last week “which thankfully concluded with the project being permanently abandoned”.
The plan to create Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of Fifa’s tournaments, first emerged in reports by The Times and the Financial Times last Tuesday, before Fifa issued confirmation of some of the details.
The most controversial aspect was the idea to sell 20% of FFE to private investors.
The plan was firmly rejected by European football’s governing body Uefa, as well as CONCACAF – representing nations from North and Central America plus the Caribbean – and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Uefa also threatened to boycott Fifa competitions including the World Cup until the plan was scrapped, which it duly was last Saturday.
Uefa said it had nevertheless “lost confidence” in Infantino and a number of its associations – including those of England and Wales – have since formally withdrawn their support for Infantino, with the Scottish Football Association understood to be aligned to Uefa’s position.
Work is understood to be continuing among members of the Fifa Council to seek a majority of 19 to request a meeting to hold Infantino to account over the plans, and over his handling of the Folarin Balogun case.
If a majority cannot be reached, or if Infantino refuses that request, the Council members who oppose him intend to stage a ‘governance boycott’ and effectively render FIFA incapable of operating, PA understands.
Wenger had faced criticism in recent days for his silence over the FFE plans but spoke out on Tuesday to welcome the withdrawal of the project, adding: “I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
Grafstrom is understood to have emailed Fifa staff to thank them for their efforts during the World Cup but accepted they had now been “thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept”.
Grafstrom promised staff would be “defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience”, pointedly adding: “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”
The comments follow the resignation last week of Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro and a damning statement from Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour to the Associated Press in which he said the organisation’s staff had been “deceived” by Infantino.
With Africa, South America and Oceania largely expected to remain behind Infantino, Asian associations could hold the key to his future and some – including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Lebanon – have come out in support.
Jordan has emphatically gone the other way however, with its association president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein accusing Fifa of “blackmail”.
He alleged in a post on X that Fifa told him during the World Cup he would receive money allegedly owed to the association if he voted for Infantino. Fifa is aware of Prince Ali’s comments and has so far declined to respond.
Uefa has also told Infantino it is “actively considering” legal action over the FFE plan and lawyers acting on behalf of the European body have ordered Infantino and other Fifa staff to identify, locate and preserve any documents related to the project.
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