Gianni Infantino will remain president of the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) following a leadership meeting about a World Cup share sale scandal.
According to Sky News, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and board members confirmed their full support for Infantino. Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016 and plans to run for reelection in 2027.
FIFA sent a letter to national football associations apologizing for mistakes made while planning to sell World Cup shares to private investors. The organization said it sincerely apologized, promised the errors would not happen again, and cited the media leak of its plans as one of those mistakes.
UEFA Response and Boycott Threat
UEFA rejected the apology, stating that FIFA failed to meet required conditions such as guaranteeing no similar proposals would be made. UEFA added that it still does not trust Infantino, and European countries are discussing a World Cup boycott if the sale proceeds.
Media reports indicate Infantino wanted to create a $20 billion subsidiary and sell more than 20% of FIFA Forward Enterprise to raise $4.2 billion. A private investor group led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, was set to receive about 20% of the rights. FIFA abandoned the project after widespread criticism from clubs and national federations.
