In brief
Giant Olympia: Gianni Infantino will remain Fifa president after senior executives at a meeting in Morocco back him, despite the governing body publicly acknowledging mistakes in a previous proposal for private investment in the World Cup. Infantino’s plan – a $40 million offer to 211 member associations for a new private‑holding subsidiary – was leaked to the press, prompting criticism from UEFA, Fifa staff and the media. At the emergency meeting, the board reaffirmed support, apologised for the leak and pledged a full review of their governance processes. The council will conduct further scrutiny while the organisation vows to stop any attacks on its integrity. Meanwhile, Fifa has denied rumours that Infantino promised Morocco a 2030 World Cup final, insisting any future final will be decided in due course.
After a costly leak about a $40m proposal to off‑load stakes in FIFA tournaments, senior executives met in Morocco to decide Infantino’s fate. The board’s decision: keep him in the chair.
The plan, meant to bring private investors into the World Cups, missed the mark. UEFA called it “shabby” and “back‑room opaque”, and Fifa staff openly referred to the fiasco as a “sad and reproachable series of events”.
Infantino’s hear‑seeking meeting in Rabat produced a statement of support four hours later. The council apologised for the leak, pledging a review of governance and a promise that “any attacks on its integrity will be met with necessary measures”.
In a note to member associations, Fifa admitted the error in handling the FFE proposal and committed to preventing similar missteps.
Meanwhile, an earlier Times story claiming Infantino had promised Morocco a 2030 final was dismissed as “false and misleading” by Fifa, which said the final’s location would be decided “in due course”.
