FIFA has come out with its biggest apology in years, calling on its administration “errors” in the way it adjudicated its now-cancelled proposal for a stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup, while affirming that owner Gianni Infantino will stay president despite a growing political maelstrom.
Emerging out of a meeting at the international body’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, the governing body expressed the apology in response to the widespread opposition to the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative regarding the FIFA Summit’s key points by football associations, confederations and stakeholders which took place in Rabat, Morocco.
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The initiative aimed to cede a minority stake in the commercial arm of the FIFA, which would also comprise a share of the FIFA’s future World Cup revenues, but faced strong opposition.
In a letter to the FIFA’s 211 member associations, Infantino admitted that there were problems with the consultation process and that the organisation had made blunders in both the time of implementing the proposal and in its communication strategy.
He expressed his regret over the controversy and promised to make governance more transparent and inclusive in the future.
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Despite the strain on the head of the world football governing body from some within the sport, the chiefs of FIFA were unanimous in their trust of Infantino, saying he would remain in office if the football governing body “reviews” its decision making process.
Authorities also agreed to improve governance and communication with the member organizations.
The investment plan had attracted serious criticism from the international football federation UEFA and a number of national assos as well as the fact that the World Cup would lose its ‘long-term integrity and independence’ due to the sale of interests.
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There had been his consideration by some European football leaders of ‘coordinated opposition’ if the proposal went ahead.
Though it has been cancelled, the controversy has drawn attention to the corruption in the governance of FIFA ahead of the presidential elections next year. UEFA officials have been pressing for bigger changes to the governance system, but have admitted it could be challenging to appoint a contender to replace Infantino that’s universally accepted.
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FIFA reiterated its commitment to the growth and global expansion of football development programmes, as it mentioned the organisation is still active in this field and hoped that the failures that occurred after the proposal would strengthen its governance structure.
