said Wednesday it had apologized for errors made over Gianni Infantino鈥檚 failed plan and that senior staff in attendance at a crisis meeting in Morocco 鈥渞eaffirmed their full support鈥� for his presidency.
World soccer’s governing body attempted to present a unified front amid the turbulence caused by Infantino’s controversial plans, with calls for him to step down.
In a statement, FIFA said Secretary-General Mattias Grafstr枚m and members of the management board in attendance in Rabat had given their support to the embattled president.
Referring to the plans through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the statement said 鈥渕istakes made were acknowledged鈥� and that the 鈥減rocess should have been handled differently.”
FIFA said a letter had been sent to FIFA Council and member associations apologizing for errors and committed to 鈥渆nsure they do not happen again.鈥�
Grafstr枚m鈥檚 stated support was notable after he distanced himself from Infantino鈥檚 now abandoned plans in an email to all FIFA staff calling the last week a 鈥渟ad and reproachable series of events.鈥�
FIFA said Infantino had also reaffirmed his support for his secretary general.
World soccer鈥檚 governing body said the FFE proposal was 鈥渘ow off the table.鈥�
鈥淭here are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience,鈥� it said.
鈥楽erious questions鈥�
Earlier Wednesday, the association of European soccer leagues 鈥� including the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A 鈥� called for governance reform of FIFA. It described as 鈥渄angerous鈥� and said it pointed to deeper concerns about how the governing body operates.
It said it raised 鈥渟erious questions about FIFA鈥檚 governance, internal culture and decision-making.鈥�
鈥淣ow more than ever, FIFA requires governance reform that ensures that all relevant stakeholders have a formal role in decisions that shape the future of our game.鈥�
In the statement, European Leagues hit out at the possibility of further expanding the World Cup to 64 teams and said 鈥淔IFA must not be allowed to continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions.鈥�
It said that until there was reform it would reject the 鈥渆xpansion or creation鈥� of FIFA competitions.
Portugal and Real Madrid great Luis Figo also called for Infantino to step down, saying he had 鈥渄ebased the office.鈥�
FIFA denied a British media report suggesting Infantino, in seeking support for his presidency, had offered Morocco the hosting of the final at the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco are . Morocco hopes to host the final at the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca; Spain has at least two contenders 鈥� the home stadiums of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
A FIFA spokesperson said it鈥檚 鈥渇alse and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.鈥�
Canada鈥檚 Carney raises concerns
Also Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said . He said the FIFA president committed a 鈥渇atal鈥� governance failure by not consulting senior advisers.
鈥淐ertainly I don鈥檛 have confidence in Mr. Infantino,鈥� said Carney, who had appeared alongside Infantino at several events during the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
A tumultuous week have raised questions about Infantino鈥檚 presidency of FIFA ahead of elections in March.
European soccer鈥檚 governing body UEFA has applied the most intense pressure by voting to boycott the World Cup if Infantino pressed ahead with FFE.
Even after Infantino鈥檚 climbdown UEFA said it had 鈥� possibly paving the way for a challenge to his presidency. The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) also said FIFA leadership had 鈥渟topped putting football first.鈥�
There have also been signs of division within the organization with chief of global football development Ars猫ne Wenger from the FFE plans. Infantino鈥檚 senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned last week and chief operating officer staff were 鈥渄eceived鈥� by the president鈥檚 lack of openness.
Infantino is aiming to win a fourth and final term in office at the March elections.
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