Gianni Infantino has survived a call for his resignation as FIFA President, after receiving the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco.
Infantino summoned members of the management board to FIFA's Africa office in Rabat on Wednesday, following mounting criticism of his aborted plans to sell off stakes in competitions to private investors. The world football governing body released a statement of support four hours after the meeting ended.
The European football governing body Uefa said at the weekend that it has lost confidence in Infantino, calling the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal a "shabby, back room, opaque deal". Much criticism has come from within FIFA, including secretary general Mattias Grofstrom, who was at Wednesday's meeting.
However, in a statement following the meeting, Grofstrom and the management board "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino as president. Infantino and Grofstrom also sent a signed letter to FIFA's vice-presidents, council, and 211 member associations saying they "sincerely apologise" for their errors and "commit to them not happening again".
The proposal, which was meant to attract private investment in FIFA's tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups, through a new subsidiary, FFE, was widely criticized. Infantino had offered all associations $40m (£30m) if they backed the proposal.
FIFA said that during Wednesday's meeting "mistakes" regarding FFE were "acknowledged", saying it was "not the intention" for the FIFA council and members association to "feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently". The governing body added it "acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media".
Uefa has threatened legal action against FIFA, and several member associations, including Wales, have withdrawn support for Infantino's re-election. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country hosted the recent World Cup with the United States and Mexico, said he no longer had confidence in Infantino. Former Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Portugal winger Luis Figo called on Infantino to immediately resign.
Infantino, 56, looks set to fight for re-election for a fourth term. Rivals have until 18 November to put their names forward to stand against him, with the election to be held at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027. A candidate requires 106 votes from FIFA's 211 members to win.
Uefa's anger towards Infantino is unlikely to dampen with statements and the approval of a group of executives. The European football governing body has a great deal of power, but it cannot realistically overthrow Infantino on its own. It needs more global support.
Outside of Europe, only Jordan has publicly called for Infantino to go, while countries like Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, DR Congo, and the Philippines have backed the FIFA President.
Source: Yahoo Sports