Gianni Infantino apologises to the FIFA Council

Faced with the backlash sparked by his plan to open the organisation up to private investors, Gianni Infantino apologised to the FIFA Council.

Gianni Infantino is trying to calm the situation. Meeting this Thursday in Zurich with the 37 members of the FIFA Council, the president of the international governing body apologised after the heated controversy sparked by the FIFA Forward Enterprise project.

“We apologise for the mistakes made in the conduct and communication of this project”, said the Italian-Swiss executive, while reiterating that, in his view, it was merely a proposal aimed at increasing the resources redistributed to the federations.

A project that sparked a genuine revolt

The proposal faced strong opposition within world football. The project involved creating a commercial structure that could open up part of the activities linked to FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. Faced with opposition from several confederations, notably UEFA, the AFC and Concacaf, Infantino eventually abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise.

Since then, tensions have remained high. FIFA notably accused UEFA of conducting a campaign against Infantino, while several federations have called for greater transparency in the governing body’s administration.

Apologies that are not enough for everyone

Infantino’s apology did not, however, convince all Council members. Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English FA, said that several questions remained unanswered.

“We have received no answers to our specific requests,” she lamented. This is further evidence that, despite the FIFA president’s apology, the matter is far from being closed.

Read also: Morocco–Senegal final: a fake CAS document lights the fuse!

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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