Following an emergency meeting Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco, the world football’s governing body acknowledged mistakes in both the handling of the proposal and its response after details were leaked to the media. FIFA said the process “should have been handled differently”, apologised for the errors and pledged to ensure they “do not happen again”. It also confirmed the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal is now “off the table”.
Despite this, European football’s governing body UEFA on Thursday refused to lift its threatened boycott of the World Cup, saying it had lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino and that the conditions it set for reversing its position had not been met.
Read moreUEFA maintains its World Cups boycott following FIFA crisis
Infantino came under intense pressure after FIFA unveiled plans last week to create FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial subsidiary that would oversee competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup, while opening the door to private investment.
According to the BBC, FIFA offered its 211 member associations $40 million to back the proposal. The plan also drew scrutiny over its links to the Trump family, with media reports naming Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner (Jared’s younger brother) as the main investment fund.
Gianni Infantino lives to see another day after FIFA crisis meeting
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Instead of winning support, however, the proposal sparked an unprecedented backlash inside the football community.
UEFA’s initial threat last Thursday to boycott the World Cup if FIFA proceeded with the plan, forced Infantino into a dramatic U-turn over the weekend.
And UEFA maintained its stand even after the plan was withdrawn, saying that although one of the conditions for them to withdraw their threat had been met, the second condition had not.
“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions,” it said in a statement. “First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.”
The proposal also exposed divisions within FIFA itself. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said staff had been “deceived” by the lack of transparency.
Meanwhile, an internal email from FIFA’s secretary general and second-in-command, Mattias Grafstrom, described the episode as “a sad and reproachable series of events” before he publicly backed Infantino following Wednesday’s meeting.
‘Opaque deal’
Despite FIFA’s apology and its public show of support for Infantino, criticism has continued to mount.
UEFA, which described the proposal as a “shabby, back room, opaque deal”, said it had lost confidence in the “current FIFA leadership”.
European Leagues, representing 1,300 European clubs, also called for governance reform, saying the failed proposal raised “serious questions” about FIFA’s decision-making and internal culture.
CONCACAF also criticised FIFA’s leadership, accusing it of failing to put football first.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country co-hosted the 2026 World Cup, said he no longer had confidence in Infantino, calling the handling of the proposal a “fatal” governance failure because senior advisers had not been properly consulted.
Former Portugal and Real Madrid star Luis Figo also called on Infantino to resign, saying he had “debased the office” of FIFA president.
Read moreUEFA accuses FIFA of ‘selling football’ with World Cup investment plan
FIFA has also denied reports that Infantino promised Morocco it would host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for political support, as Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the main co-hosts for the next edition.
A FIFA spokesperson said it’s “false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”
Leadership bid
Although FIFA’s leadership has publicly rallied behind Infantino, the controversy has cast doubt over what had appeared to be a straightforward path to a fourth and final term as president.
The election is scheduled to take place at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027, with candidates able to enter the race until November 18, 2026.
To become president, a candidate must secure a majority of votes from FIFA’s 211 member associations, meaning a minimum of 106 votes are required for victory.
Several national associations have already withdrawn their backing for Infantino, while UEFA has suggested it could support an alternative candidate.
Among those viewed as possible successors are CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and even Qatari sports executive and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, although no challenger has formally entered the race.
However, any challenge to Infantino’s presidency would depend not only on potential rivals emerging, but also on whether he can maintain support among FIFA’s member associations.
Infantino may still count on significant support from African nations, where he has built a strong political base during his decade in charge. According to an analysis published by ESPN, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has so far refrained from publicly criticising the original proposal, while several African federations have backed the FIFA president, pointing to increased FIFA funding and the expansion of the World Cup as signs of his commitment to African football.
(With AP and AFP)
