FIFA leadership backs Infantino after scrapped investor plan triggers crisis

Emergency meeting in Rabat

FIFA's leadership convened an emergency meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday evening, August 5, 2026, to address the crisis triggered by President Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell commercial rights to private investors. After the session, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and the members of the management board affirmed their "unrestricted support" for Infantino as "the only officeholder elected by the 211 FIFA member associations." Infantino reciprocated by expressing full support for Grafström. The two sat side by side that evening in the stands at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia, a visible display of unity after days of turmoil.

The abandoned investor plan

Infantino's proposal envisioned creating a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to market competitions including the World Cup and the Club World Cup. Private investors could have acquired up to 20 percent of the shares. Based on a valuation of $20 billion (€17.3 billion), FIFA aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion. When the plans became public, outrage erupted across the football world. The European football association UEFA and other federations threatened a World Cup boycott. Infantino relented and scrapped the idea, but resistance across Europe continued to mount. The crisis could spell the end of Infantino's now ten-year tenure as FIFA president.

FIFA admits errors

In its statement, FIFA acknowledged mistakes in how the investor plans were handled. The organisation conceded it had not intended to give the FIFA Council and member associations "the feeling of being excluded from the process" and that "the process should have been handled differently." According to the BBC, Infantino and Grafström sent a letter to the vice presidents, the council, and the 211 member associations in which they "sincerely apologize" for their errors and "commit that these will not happen again."

Grafström himself had previously lamented the situation in an internal email to FIFA employees, describing a "sad and reprehensible series of events" and an "upheaval." The Swedish secretary general's candid assessment reflected the depth of internal discontent with how the investor proposal was developed and communicated.

Times report on 2030 World Cup final

Shortly before the FIFA statement, the British newspaper The Times reported, citing an anonymous source, that Infantino had promised Morocco the hosting of the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for the country's support in his power struggle. According to the Times, the final would be held at the new Hassan II Stadium with 115,000 seats in Casablanca. FIFA immediately denied the report.

It is false and misleading to claim that the FIFA President made any promise regarding the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Final 2030. A decision will be made by FIFA at the appropriate time.

Such a move would have been an affront to Spain and thus to Europe, which had harshly attacked Infantino in recent days over the scrapped investor deal. Spain is co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco, with the first three matches in South America (Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay).

Defiant tone amid growing resistance

Despite Infantino's retreat, opposition continues to form primarily in Europe. FIFA struck a defiant tone regarding the criticism.

FIFA will not tolerate any attacks on its integrity and will take all necessary measures to defend its reputation.