A groveling Gianni Infantino has issued an apology for attempting to sell the FIFA World Cup, confirming that the controversial proposal has been scrapped. Infantino has faced fierce backlash since FIFA announced last week — following media reports breaking the story — a plan to sell its competitions to private investors, igniting fury across the soccer community at every level. An emergency meeting was convened in Morocco on Wednesday amid relentless criticism and continuous leaks surrounding the plans, as per The Mirror.
Grafström's warning to staff
While he avoided naming Infantino directly, his message made it clear that the president's actions have caused a significant problem. 'A sad and reproachable series of events – which were thankfully concluded with the FFE project permanently abandoned – should not overshadow this reality,' he wrote. Grafström also pledged to shield senior staff from the political turmoil surrounding the president.
Grafström emphasized the need to refocus on FIFA's core mission of 'serving football.' He also called for focusing on 'our 211 Member Associations.' He warned of the dangers of the current environment. He urged staff to remain professional and grounded in the face of instability. 'The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue,' he said.
Wenger's rare public statement
Arsène Wenger, who leads FIFA’s global development department, had remained publicly silent on the controversy until Tuesday. In a statement, he said he was not involved in the planning of the FFE project. He learned about it through media reports. 'The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question,' he said. Wenger stressed his belief in an 'independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.'
Wenger's position at FIFA has been quietly sidelined since the project was announced in 2019. His sudden public support for abandoning the FFE plan, combined with Grafström's internal communication, signals that Infantino is losing allies in key positions. Last week, another close advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned. On Monday, multiple European federations reportedly began withdrawing their support for Infantino's re-election, with more expected to follow. Infantino has summoned senior FIFA officials to a crisis meeting in Morocco on Wednesday as he fights to save his presidency. The Jordan FA president publicly accused Infantino of 'blackmail,' while Uefa confirmed it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership and is considering legal action. Five influential African football figures have, however, publicly offered their support to Infantino, including leading members of the Confederation of African Football's executive committee.
Top FIFA executives, including secretary general Mattias Grafström, have reaffirmed their support for embattled president Gianni Infantino, the soccer governing body said in a news release Wednesday, Aug. 5. The group was convened after Infantino's plan to sell shares of the World Cup to private investors was shelved after backlash from both soccer stakeholders, fans and political groups around the world. UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, threatened a boycott of FIFA. Concacaf, the governing body for the sport in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation both announced they, too, rejected the scheme. That threw Infantino's continuity into question, and members of the FIFA Management Board were summoned to Morocco for meetings about the organization's future. Those meetings have resulted in Infantino retaining the support of the organization's decision-makers, according to a statement put out by FIFA. "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 read. "In turn, the FIFA President reiterated his full support for the FIFA Secretary General and the FIFA Administration for their necessary and outstanding work in the delivery of his vision." The statement comes just a day after a letter from Grafström to FIFA staff in which he wrote that "individuals come and go" became public. He also called Infantino's plan to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors a "sad and reproachable series of events" in the letter. Yet, Grafström was back by Infantino's side both figuratively and literally Wednesday, Aug. 5, sitting next to the president at a Women's African Cup of Nations match.
A letter co-signed by Infantino and FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström states: "We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media. We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting." The letter further states that Grafström and FIFA's Management Board 'reaffirm their full support' for Infantino, who faces re-election next March. It continues: "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."
FIFA has also confirmed that its leadership held a constructive and positive meeting in Rabat. This follows a bombshell report alleging that Infantino had offered Morocco the opportunity to host the 2030 World Cup final — which they are co-hosting with Spain and Portugal — in exchange for their backing of his proposal. Federations that supported the scheme were reportedly promised £30 million (around $40 million), with a portion available in January for those who responded favourably ahead of a September deadline. Prince Ali bin Al Hussein posted: "We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now. But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that."