FIFA President Gianni Infantino will retain his position despite the scandal surrounding his idea to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup. This decision was made following an emergency meeting of FIFA's leadership in Rabat, Morocco.
After it became known about plans to sell shares related to the World Cup, Infantino faced harsh criticism not only from outside but also from within the organization itself. Nevertheless, FIFA's leadership unanimously expressed its support for him, as reported by NOS.
FIFA's Secretary General Matthias Grafström also confirmed his support for the president, although he had previously expressed critical views about the situation in an email that was leaked to the media.
In an official statement, FIFA also announced that it had sent a letter of apology to national football associations for the mistakes made in preparing the investment project. At the same time, the organization emphasized that it does not intend to tolerate "attacks on its reputation."
Meanwhile, UEFA has already stated that it has lost trust in Infantino after this story. Legendary Portuguese footballer Luís Figo, now an advisor to UEFA, called the FIFA president "one of the most unreliable people" he has encountered in world sports.
An additional resonance was caused by a publication in the British newspaper The Times, which claimed that Infantino allegedly proposed to hold the final of the 2030 World Cup in Casablanca, Morocco, instead of Spain or Portugal in exchange for political support from Morocco in the current crisis. According to the publication, the FIFA president was hoping to receive an official written statement in his support.
FIFA categorically rejected this information, calling The Times' publication inaccurate.
Leave a comment