Gianni Infantino received clear backing from FIFA’s senior leadership to continue as president after a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday. This meeting followed the withdrawal of his proposal to involve private investment in FIFA competitions. Strong global opposition to Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative threatened his position. Despite this, FIFA announced that the 56-year-old has the complete backing of Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and the management board.
Infantino expressed gratitude on Instagram, confirming all present supported both his and Grafstrom’s roles. He stated that FIFA will actively defend its integrity against any attacks.
Grafstrom, initially unaware of the FFE plan, criticized the proposal in a letter to staff. He labeled recent events as regrettable. The Wednesday meeting in Rabat, including FIFA’s management board, commenced mid-morning. Key figures such as chief of member associations Elkhan Mammadov, chief legal officer Emilio Garcia Silvero, CFO Thomas Peyer, chief of staff Daniel O’Toole, media director Bryan Swanson, and HR chief Kimberly Morris attended.
The meeting continued into the day, culminating with Infantino and Grafstrom attending the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match in Zambia, demonstrating unity.
Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s COO, previously accused Infantino of misleading staff with the FFE proposal but did not attend the Morocco meeting. FIFA acknowledged mistakes were made concerning FFE. They asserted no intention to exclude FIFA council and member associations from the process and admitted errors were made when the proposal leaked.
An apology was extended to the FIFA council and all 211 member associations, with a commitment to prevent recurrence. A review is underway, with a report planned for the next FIFA council meeting.
Growing Pressure on Infantino
Infantino faces increasing pressure. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was visible with Infantino during this year’s World Cup, called his governance over FFE a “fatal” failure, expressing no confidence in him.
Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, head of the Jordanian Football Association and former FIFA presidential contender, accused FIFA of “blackmail,” stating Jordan upholds ethical values and refuses to support Infantino.
UEFA has called for Infantino’s departure, citing lost trust, with the English Football Association expected to follow suit in withdrawing their support. The Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf seek clarity from Infantino but have not explicitly demanded change.
Opponents have until November 18 to propose a challenger for the FIFA presidency election due in March.