RABAT, AUG 6 (IANS): Gianni Infantino admitted mistakes were made in the process of trying to sell off the World Cup to private investment and apologised for “errors” he made, but the senior executives “reaffirmed their full support” for him to remain FIFA president after a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Infantino was forced to withdraw his plan to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA’s tournaments, after it triggered widespread opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and several national associations, as well as criticism from within FIFA.
Following the mounting criticism, Infantino has asked senior leaders of football’s world governing body to attend the cricis meeting in Rabat.
However, in a statement following the meeting, FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance “reaffirmed their full support for FIFA chief Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations.”
“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 FIFA statement read.
