The Sports Guru
Gianni Infantino apologised for his role in a collapsed plan to sell stakes in Fifa's competitions to private investors, then kept his job within hours. This article explains why the vote count behind the scenes mattered more than the apology itself, and what it means for his push for a fourth term.
By Wednesday evening, Gianni Infantino had done two things: apologised, and kept his job. Only four hours separated the two announcements, and that short gap says more about what actually decides Fifa's power struggles than the apology itself does. Contrition was never the real hurdle facing Infantino - arithmetic was. Despite days of public fury from some of football's most influential voices, the numbers still appear to be running in his favour.
A Rabat Meeting Built to Produce One Outcome
Infantino summoned members of Fifa's management board to the organisation's Africa office in Rabat, drawing them in after days of backlash over a shelved scheme to sell equity in Fifa's tournaments - the men's and women's World Cups among them - to outside investors via a newly created arm named Fifa Forward Enterprise. A statement backing the president followed roughly four hours after proceedings wrapped up.
The sequence matters. Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sat in on the meeting, just a day after telling Fifa staff in an internal memo that the episode amounted to "a sad and reproachable series of events." Yet by that evening he had joined the rest of the board in declaring they had "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino's presidency. Hours later, the pair appeared side by side at a Women's Africa Cup of Nations fixture in the same city.
A separate letter, co-signed by both men, went out to every vice-president, the council and all 211 member associations, stating that they "sincerely apologise" and "commit to them not happening again." In its own summary of the meeting, Fifa conceded "mistakes" in how FFE had been managed, adding it was "not the intention" to leave council members and associations feeling shut out, and admitting the process "should have been handled differently."
The Apology Covers the Process, Not the Plan
Notably absent from that apology is any admission that FFE itself was flawed. Fifa maintained that "everything that was done was done in full compliance with the Fifa regulatory framework," while cautioning it "will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process." Read closely, this isn't an organisation backing down. It's one drawing a line under how things were communicated while standing firm on what was actually proposed.
Under the scheme, each of Fifa's 211 associations stood to receive $40m (£30m) in exchange for backing private investment in Fifa's competitions via FFE. Senior figures within Fifa itself were reportedly not told about it, and the arrangement's intended beneficiary was said to be Joshua Kushner - brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law to Donald Trump. The Times first reported the plan on 28 July, and Fifa later admitted that "errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media" - a line about handling the fallout, not about the merits of the deal.
On the same day, Fifa also rejected a further Times report alleging that Infantino had privately pledged Morocco the 2030 World Cup final in return for its backing, branding it "false and misleading." The governing body said any call on hosting the final - shared between Morocco, Spain and Portugal - would come "in due course." Regardless of whether that allegation stands up, the fact it surfaced in the same week underlines how thin the trust around Infantino's judgment has worn.
Uefa's Anger Meets Infantino's Firewall
None of this has softened Uefa's position. Over the weekend, European football's governing body declared it had lost confidence in Infantino, describing FFE as a "shabby, back room, opaque deal" and raising the prospect of legal action against Fifa. Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, whose nation co-hosted the recent World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico, echoed that lack of confidence. Luis Figo - once a rival candidate to Infantino's predecessor Sepp Blatter - was blunter still: "Infantino has debased the office that he promised to elevate," he said. "It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football."
One senior figure did walk away: Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned over the affair. Others who voiced concern - Grafstrom included, alongside global football development chief Arsene Wenger and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour - chose to remain in their roles. Given how many names have already surfaced, it would be no surprise if further unease within Fifa simply hasn't gone public yet.
Still, Uefa's outrage hasn't spread into a coordinated global push. Of the six confederations, only Concacaf has criticised Infantino collectively since he reversed course on FFE - and even Concacaf didn't go as far as declaring lost confidence. Asia's confederation opposed the original scheme but hasn't issued any statement since it was scrapped. Beyond Europe, Jordan stands alone in publicly demanding Infantino's departure - notably one of the few member associations that hadn't already signed a re-election endorsement before this saga began.
The Numbers That Still Favour Infantino
Here's where the numbers take over the narrative. Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, DR Congo and the Philippines have all voiced support for Infantino in recent days. These nations, along with plenty of others across Africa and Asia, have drawn funding from Infantino's Fifa Forward programme - the scheme that preceded FFE - which delivers $8m (£5.94m) to each association every three-year cycle. Uefa doesn't just need to convince these federations that Infantino got something wrong. It needs to convince them a challenger would match that money while offering more transparency - a tough sell when Infantino's loyalty with them is already secured.
Winning the presidency takes 106 votes out of Fifa's 211 members. Wales has pulled its backing for Infantino already, and England is expected to do the same. Against a voter base still concentrated and largely unmoved across Africa and Asia, though, those defections currently read as gestures rather than a genuine threat to the outcome.
What Would Actually Change Things
At 56, Infantino appears ready to pursue a fourth term regardless. Challengers have until 18 November to enter the race, ahead of an election set for the Fifa Congress in Morocco in March 2027. None of the controversies that have dogged his decade in charge - how Saudi Arabia landed the 2034 World Cup, Trump's Fifa Peace Prize, Folarin Balogun avoiding a suspension at the World Cup - dented him. FFE was different in kind: it bypassed his own senior team, kept even close allies in the dark.
Should Infantino want a cleaner break than the Rabat statement delivered, the obvious levers exist: dropping his openness to a 64-team World Cup, or submitting Fifa's finances to greater outside scrutiny - both substantive moves rather than procedural ones. Whether he pulls either lever remains unclear. What the apology secured was time, not trust, and Uefa has made plain this chapter isn't closed as far as it's concerned.
Frequently Asked Questions
FFE was a scheme to sell equity in Fifa's competitions - including both World Cups - to outside investors through a newly formed subsidiary. Infantino offered every one of the 211 member associations $40m (£30m) for their support, before the plan was shelved.
Following apologies from Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom over how the plan was managed and leaked, the board declared it had "reaffirmed their full support" for his presidency, just hours after their emergency Rabat meeting concluded.
Uefa has declared no confidence in Infantino and raised the threat of legal action against Fifa, yet hardly any confederations beyond Europe have followed suit, leaving his support base across Africa and Asia mostly unshaken.
Challengers must declare by 18 November, with voting scheduled for the Fifa Congress in Morocco in March 2027. Securing the presidency requires 106 votes out of Fifa's 211 member associations.
No - Fifa rejected reports that Infantino had privately promised Morocco the final in return for its backing, calling the claim "false and misleading," and said any decision on the venue would come "in due course."
Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.