Gianni Infantino issues grovelling apology for World Cup sell-off plan but stays FIFA president after crisis talks

Following an emergency FIFA crisis meeting in Morocco, Infantino has officially apologised for the "mistakes"made during his failed attempt to privatise portions of the World Cup. While the Swiss administrator was forced into a humiliating retreat over the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, he has successfully survived a major threat to his leadership after senior officials at the summit reaffirmed their full support for his presidency.

Infantino's backdown comes after his plan to sell tournament stakes to private investors triggered a civil war within football's global governing body. The internal strife culminated in a unified rebellion from European heavyweights, with UEFA threatening a complete boycott of FIFA competitions if the commercial proposal had been approved.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday evening, Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom admitted that the process was flawed. "We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of FFE," the letter said. "It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and it should have been handled differently.

"We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media. We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting."

While Grafstrom previously described the proposal as "sad and reproachable" in private emails to staff, the official communique from the meeting painted a picture of renewed solidarity. The statement continued: "For the avoidance of doubt, the FIFA Secretary General and the Management Board in attendance reaffirm their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations

"It was discussed and agreed at the meeting that the processes, communications and interactions between the FIFA President, the FIFA Secretary General and the Management Board that support the delivery of this vision can and should always be continuously improved in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency.

"We are fully confident that the outcomes of today's meeting will strengthen FIFA's governance, help restore confidence in the organisation and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner while continuing our mission to develop the game around the world."

To bolster his position during the talks in Rabat, reports suggest the FIFA chief has turned to political maneuvering involving future tournaments. Infantino has allegedly offered Morocco the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for their vital public endorsement.

Despite the show of unity within FIFA's headquarters, the football world remains unconvinced by Infantino's apology. Real Madrid and Portugal icon Luis Figo, who serves as a consultant for UEFA, launched a stinging attack on the president's conduct. Figo said: "I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go." Whether the embattled president will heed that advice remains to be seen.