FIFA President Gianni Infantino has apologised for mistakes in a controversial proposal to sell stakes in the governing body's competitions to private investors, but retained the backing of FIFA's senior leadership following a meeting in Morocco.
Infantino convened a meeting of FIFA's management board in Rabat on Wednesday after growing criticism over the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have allowed private investment in tournaments including the men's and women's World Cups.
In a statement issued after the meeting, FIFA said mistakes in handling the proposal were acknowledged, including the failure to adequately involve the FIFA Council and member associations in the process.
Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström also sent a letter to FIFA vice-presidents, council members and the organisation's 211 member associations apologising for the handling of the proposal and pledging that similar mistakes would not be repeated.
Despite the controversy, FIFA's management board reaffirmed its full support for Infantino's leadership.
The proposal had drawn criticism from several football stakeholders, including UEFA, which said it had lost confidence in Infantino and described the plan as lacking transparency.
Reports said the proposal offered FIFA's member associations up to $40 million each in exchange for supporting the creation of a new subsidiary to attract private investment into FIFA competitions.
FIFA also rejected reports that Infantino had promised Morocco the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final in exchange for backing the proposal, describing the claim as false and saying a decision on the final venue would be made at a later date.
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