Gianni Infantino Apologizes, but Europe Won’t Let Up
The FIFA president permanently withdrew the FFE project and called for unity, but England and Germany remain critical and continue to question his leadership.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologized for mistakes in the handling and communication of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project during the first Council meeting after the World Cup, but some of his strongest critics in Europe remained firmly opposed to his leadership.
Infantino told the Council meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, that the proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions to outside investors had been permanently withdrawn and would not return in any form. He also called for unity within the organization.
“Football is for everyone, everywhere,” he said, while insisting that the project — which would have required approval from the FIFA Council and its member associations — had always been intended to increase investment in football and distribute it more effectively.
FIFA proposes a historic increase in funding
According to a statement from FIFA, outside lawyers briefed the Council on the legal background of the FFE project, whose details remain confidential because of ongoing legal proceedings in the United States.
The administration also presented a proposal called the FIFA Surplus Solidarity Program, which would use part of the organization’s reserves following the World Cup’s exceptional commercial returns to more than double the funding planned for 2027-2030 to $6.35 billion.
Based on an unaudited projected surplus of between $5.2 billion and $5.6 billion for 2023-2026, the initiative would maintain fixed reserve funds of $1.7 billion to cover unforeseen circumstances. Each federation would receive an allocation of $25 million, while confederations would also see significant increases under the Forward 4.0 program.
The plan will be finalized by the relevant committees and the FIFA Council at its next meeting in Doha in December before being submitted for approval at the March 18, 2027 Congress, where the presidential election will also take place.
“FIFA’s money, including its reserves, belongs to the 211 member associations, and the proposal to increase investment across all member associations, confederations and other stakeholders to $6.35 billion is intended to reinforce our strong commitment to continue supporting football development and access around the world thanks to the extraordinary financial result of the World Cup,” Infantino said.
The FIFA president highlighted that funding for each association has risen from $1 million to $25 million since he took office in 2016 and thanked those who had offered suggestions on how the money should be distributed. “We must look to the future in a spirit of unity and in the best interests of football,” he said.
Europe keeps the pressure on Gianni Infantino
After the meeting, UEFA federations that have been highly critical of Infantino’s leadership, including England and Germany, maintained their opposition and rejected the idea of him continuing as president.
English Football Association president and FIFA vice president Debbie Hewitt said they had not received answers to questions they had raised, including requests for access to documents related to the FFE project. “He has to answer those questions and, if he doesn’t do it now, he is not fit to be president of FIFA,” she said, according to English media.
“The trust in him has been lost. Now we need new people with new ideas to come forward and work out how to put this organization on solid foundations,” said German federation president Bernd Neuendor.
Africa continues to back the FIFA president
Africa’s support for Infantino was represented by Mauritanian Football Federation president Ahmed Yahya, who argued that “Gianni Infantino is moving football forward all over the world.” He added: “I come from the African continent and I know what I am talking about. For us, equality is what defines FIFA today: every country is equal. When we go to the FIFA Congress, everyone has the same vote, in the same way. I am sure Gianni Infantino is the right president. The majority want him to continue.”
FIFA to review its governance and disciplinary procedures
The Council agreed to create a working group including all confederations to examine FIFA’s governance framework in detail and asked the Social Responsibility Committee to review the FIFA Peace Prize, which was awarded for the first time a year ago to U.S. President Donald Trump. A decision will be made at the December meeting.
It also instructed the Legal Committee to review disciplinary procedures and submit a report at that meeting, following the independent Disciplinary Committee’s decision during the World Cup to suspend, on probation for one year, a one-match ban handed to U.S. international Folarin Balogun after his red card against Bosnia — a decision that came after a phone call from Trump to Infantino.
Gianni Infantino tries to close the FFE chapter
- Infantino apologized for the handling and communication of the FFE project and said it will not return.
- England and Germany remain critical and continue to question his future as FIFA president.
- Africa continues to support him, while FIFA prepares governance reforms and a new funding proposal.
