Rabat, August 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has acknowledged that “mistakes” were made during the process of proposing a new company to manage the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA tournaments, and apologised for the errors following a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Despite the controversy, senior FIFA officials reaffirmed their support for Infantino to continue as president of football’s global governing body.
The controversy centred around the proposed creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company intended to oversee commercial and operational activities related to FIFA competitions. The plan faced strong opposition from several football bodies, including UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), national associations and voices within FIFA itself.
Following the backlash, Infantino withdrew the proposal and called a meeting of senior FIFA officials in Rabat to address concerns surrounding the process.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom had earlier described the episode in an internal communication to staff as a “sad and reproachable series of events”.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the FIFA Management Board members and Secretary General “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino, describing him as the only official elected by FIFA’s 211 member associations.
“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 governing body said.
FIFA said the meeting acknowledged that the process surrounding the FFE proposal was not handled properly and accepted that member associations and the FIFA Council should not have felt excluded from the discussions.
The organisation said an apology had been issued to the FIFA Council and member associations, along with a commitment to prevent similar situations in the future.
A review of the process will now be conducted, with a report to be submitted to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.
FIFA added that while improvements would be made to its procedures, the organisation believed the proposal had been developed within its regulatory framework. It also said it would take necessary measures to protect its reputation and governance standards.
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