FIFA has apologised to its member associations over the handling of its now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal to sell minority stakes in the commercial rights of its tournaments, while reaffirming unanimous support for president Gianni Infantino following a leadership meeting in Morocco.
The proposed FFE sought to consolidate FIFA’s commercial rights, including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing, while raising up to USD 4.2 billion through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes to external investors.
The proposal drew strong criticism from football bodies, particularly UEFA, which argued that the FIFA World Cup was effectively being put up for sale. CONCACAF also raised concerns over the lack of consultation and governance oversight. Following the backlash, FIFA withdrew the proposal, while England’s Football Association and the Football Association of Wales moved to withdraw support for Infantino’s re-election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, FIFA acknowledged mistakes in the way the proposal was handled.
“The meeting also addressed the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, where mistakes made were acknowledged. It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently,” the statement said.
FIFA said it had apologised to its Council and member associations and pledged to ensure similar errors are not repeated. It added that a review of the process would be conducted, with its findings to be presented at the next FIFA Council meeting.
“As previously communicated, the FFE proposal… is now off the table,” FIFA said, adding that while mistakes had been made, the process had complied with its regulatory framework.
The governing body also said it would continue working with stakeholders to strengthen the FIFA Forward programme for the benefit of its 211 member associations.
FIFA further announced that its leadership had unanimously reaffirmed support for Infantino, while the president reiterated his confidence in FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and the administration.
“Following a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino,” the statement said.
