A letter has been released from the FIFA President and Secretary General addressing the “mistakes made” in the controversial plan to sell the World Cup following an emergency meeting
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised for the “mistakes made” in the controversial plan to sell the World Cup.
Infantino has signed a letter, alongside FIFA’s Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, in his first public apology since announcing and later withdrawing the highly condemned World Cup investment scheme.
The Swiss’ plan was rejected by three continental confederations before it was withdrawn and led to UEFA threatening to boycott FIFA competitions until it was scrapped.
The letter claims “We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.”
“We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again,” it says.
“With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.”
Despite the call for Infantino to step down as FIFA president the letter goes on to say that Grafstrom and FIFA’s Management Board “reaffirm their full support” for the chief.
The letter has been released following a meeting with FIFA board members in Morocco on Wednesday.
Mattias Grafstrom, the secretary general referenced in the statement, is understood to have written an email to staff on Tuesday in which he described Infantino’s proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage FIFA competitions and sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors as “sad and reproachable”.
Wednesday night’s statement presented a more united picture following the Rabat summit, however.
The document states that after the gathering they hope they are able to “help restore confidence in the organisation” and “continue to develop the game around the world”.
It continues that following the withdrawal of the plan the organisation will “no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity”.
Infantino has been seen smiling at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations following the emergency meeting of the board.
The letter rebukes that there was any wrongdoing in the plan, stating it did not break any rules, henceforth attempting to consolidate Infantino’s role as president despite the worldwide calls that he must go.
The crisis talks were initiated as his position as president appears under threat, with UEFA and CONCACAF – the body for North and Central America and the Caribbean – both making calls for Infantino to step down.
In order for the president to be ousted 106 nations need to back the motion.