UPDATED: Infantino to remain; for now!
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2026 7:29 pm
Gianni Infantino will remain as FIFA president after marathon crisis talks in Morocco, with the management board reaffirming its support for his leadership; Infantino believes he is accountable to FIFA’s 211 member associations
Under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino has shaken off calls to resign - for now - with the backing of the governing body's leaders, though apologised for "mistakes" in his botched attempts to sell off a stake in the World Cup.
In a statement released after seven hours of crisis talks in Morocco, FIFA said its management board had re-affirmed their "full support" for Infantino - including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, only days after he had labelled the World Cup plans "a sad and reproachable series of events".
Infantino had faced mounting calls to resign following the leak of previously undiscussed proposals, after it was revealed national associations had not been consulted and had been given a deadline barely a month away in mid-September and the promise of a £30.1m incentive should they back them.
In a letter seen by Sky News sent to national associations and signed by Infantino and Grafstrom, the pair wrote that they "sincerely apologised for the errors" in the plans which were eventually withdrawn on Saturday following days of criticism from around world football.
A second statement released on FIFA.com hit back at FIFA's critics, threatening that it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation".
FIFA said it had "not been the intention… for member associations to feel excluded from the process" and admitted they should have been "handled differently", while promising a review would be conducted and a report into its findings presented at the next FIFA Council, comprising 37 national representatives from around world football.
Infantino and FIFA's reputation had taken increasing hits from inside and outside of its own walls over the plans with Arsene Wenger, its chief of global football development, distancing himself publicly while Infantino's personal senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro quit his role on Friday, labelling them a "bad deal" and "irresponsible”.
Original story:
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called senior staff to a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.
It comes as there is increased pressure on him, with multiple countries saying they no longer support him.
Under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino has shaken off calls to resign - for now - with the backing of the governing body's leaders, though apologised for "mistakes" in his botched attempts to sell off a stake in the World Cup.
In a statement released after seven hours of crisis talks in Morocco, FIFA said its management board had re-affirmed their "full support" for Infantino - including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, only days after he had labelled the World Cup plans "a sad and reproachable series of events".
Infantino had faced mounting calls to resign following the leak of previously undiscussed proposals, after it was revealed national associations had not been consulted and had been given a deadline barely a month away in mid-September and the promise of a £30.1m incentive should they back them.
In a letter seen by Sky News sent to national associations and signed by Infantino and Grafstrom, the pair wrote that they "sincerely apologised for the errors" in the plans which were eventually withdrawn on Saturday following days of criticism from around world football.
A second statement released on FIFA.com hit back at FIFA's critics, threatening that it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation".
FIFA said it had "not been the intention… for member associations to feel excluded from the process" and admitted they should have been "handled differently", while promising a review would be conducted and a report into its findings presented at the next FIFA Council, comprising 37 national representatives from around world football.
Infantino and FIFA's reputation had taken increasing hits from inside and outside of its own walls over the plans with Arsene Wenger, its chief of global football development, distancing himself publicly while Infantino's personal senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro quit his role on Friday, labelling them a "bad deal" and "irresponsible”.
Original story:
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called senior staff to a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.
It comes as there is increased pressure on him, with multiple countries saying they no longer support him.