According to British media reports, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologized for the “mistakes” made in his controversial plan to sell stakes in tournament commercial rights to private investors. However, after receiving support from senior executives at a meeting in Morocco, Infantino is expected to remain as FIFA president.

On Wednesday, amid growing criticism of the failed proposal, Infantino summoned members of the FIFA Council to the organization’s African office in Rabat. Four hours after the meeting ended, football’s global governing body released a statement expressing its support for the president.

UEFA had already stated over the weekend that it had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership, describing the FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) proposal as “a despicable, behind-the-scenes and opaque deal.”

Criticism also emerged from within FIFA itself, including secretary general Mattias Grafström, who attended Wednesday’s meeting. In an internal memo sent to FIFA staff on Tuesday, he described the situation as “a series of unfortunate and regrettable events.”

However, in a statement released after the meeting, Grafström and the FIFA Council “reaffirmed their full support for Infantino as president.”

Infantino and Grafström also sent a signed letter to FIFA vice-presidents, Council members and the 211 member associations, saying they “sincerely apologize for the mistakes” and “commit that such mistakes will not happen again.”

After the meeting, the two were photographed together heading to Rabat to watch a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match.

Infantino had offered each national association $40 million (£30 million) in funding if they supported a proposal to allow private investment through the newly established FFE, which would handle commercial opportunities related to FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.

FIFA said that during Wednesday’s meeting, it “acknowledged” the “mistakes” related to FFE and admitted that the FIFA Council and member associations “were never intended to feel excluded from the process, which should have been handled differently.”

The organization added that “mistakes were also made after the proposal was leaked to the media” — with The Times reporting on Infantino’s plans on July 28.

However, FIFA’s statement also said the organization “will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process, and will take all necessary measures to protect and defend its name and reputation.”

Previously, FIFA denied a report by The Times claiming that Infantino had promised Morocco the right to host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support. FIFA called the report “false and misleading,” insisting that the final venue would be decided “at the appropriate time.” The 2030 tournament will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Support grows after further criticism

Infantino hopes this latest move will bring an end to what may be the biggest controversy of his 10-year presidency. However, the public backing from FIFA’s leadership came only after significant internal criticism.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he no longer trusted Infantino. Canada recently hosted the World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico.

Former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Portugal winger Luis Figo, who challenged Sepp Blatter and Infantino in the 2015 FIFA presidential election before withdrawing from the race, called for Infantino to resign immediately.

Nevertheless, the 56-year-old Infantino appears ready to stand for re-election. Potential challengers must submit their candidacy by November 18, with the election scheduled for the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027.

Candidates need at least 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 member associations to win the election.

However, UEFA may have different plans.

Over the weekend, European football’s governing body said it had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership and threatened legal action against FIFA.

Earlier this week, several member associations, including Wales — with England expected to follow — withdrew their support for his re-election.

FIFA also insisted that despite “some mistakes,” all actions had been “fully compliant with FIFA regulations.”

The organization added that it believed the outcome of the meeting would “strengthen FIFA’s governance” and “restore confidence in the organization.”

However, such a statement and the backing of several executives are unlikely to calm UEFA’s anger.

How will UEFA respond?

Since the emergence of Infantino’s FFE proposal, UEFA has responded quickly to every development.

From its initial rejection of FFE, to the moment when all 55 UEFA member associations threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, and eventually to a formal vote of no confidence — UEFA has consistently opposed the plan.

But UEFA faces a major obstacle, and it is not one that can easily be overcome.

Since Infantino halted the proposal, only CONCACAF has publicly criticized the FIFA president. Unlike UEFA, however, CONCACAF has not said it has lost confidence in him.

The Asian Football Confederation rejected the plan, but it has not issued a broader statement since Infantino suspended the proposal.

UEFA holds significant influence, but it cannot remove Infantino on its own. It needs wider international support.

Outside Europe, only Jordan has so far openly called for Infantino to step down. Before this controversy, only a small number of FIFA’s 211 member associations had refused to sign letters supporting his re-election.

The list of countries supporting Infantino is much longer — particularly among his strongholds in Asia and Africa.

Recently, Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Philippines have all expressed support for Infantino.

Many of these countries have benefited from FIFA Forward, the funding program introduced during Infantino’s presidency, which provides $8 million (£5.94 million) every three-year cycle.

UEFA must find a way to convince these nations that another candidate could provide the same financial support while offering greater transparency and reform.

However, Infantino has already secured their loyalty.

How can Infantino repair the situation?

Previous controversies have failed to seriously threaten Infantino’s position — including the process behind Saudi Arabia being awarded the 2034 World Cup, U.S. President Donald Trump receiving the FIFA Peace Prize, and Balogun avoiding a World Cup suspension.

This time, however, the attempt to sell parts of FIFA’s tournament commercial and ticketing rights went too far for many critics.

The concern was not only the public perception of the deal, but also the fact that many senior FIFA officials were kept unaware of the proposal. Furthermore, one of the beneficiaries of the deal was Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Therefore, Infantino now needs to rebuild trust not only with FIFA’s 211 member associations but also with those closest to him.

Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser for global strategy and governance, resigned after opposing the proposal.

Other critics, however, chose not to resign, including Grafström, FIFA’s chief of global football development Arsène Wenger, and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour.

There may also be other senior FIFA figures who remain silent.

Beyond that, Infantino may need to develop — or offer — a clear reform roadmap.

This could include creating additional checks and balances to prevent similar proposals from being developed and introduced in such a manner again.

Possible measures could include shelving the plan for a 64-team World Cup, or proposing the use of FIFA’s financial reserves for future projects instead.