The Qatar Football Association welcomed on Saturday the decision by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to withdraw the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" proposal, stressing that the move serves the interests of the global football community and strengthens the unity of member national associations.
Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani welcomed Infantino's decision not to proceed with the proposal "in service of the public interest within the international football community", according to the Qatari body's statement.
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The statement added: "Although the proposal includes some ideas worthy of study, we commend placing the continued unity of all member national associations as an immediate priority in the current period, and the wisdom behind this decision."
It continued: "At the Qatar Football Association, we affirm our full support for president Infantino's ongoing efforts to develop and grow football around the world."
What happened?
Opposition to Infantino's plan escalated sharply. The proposal would have created a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise, bringing together the commercial operations and the organisation of the international federation's tournaments while opening a stake to private-sector investors.
UEFA announced they would boycott FIFA tournaments if Infantino insisted on his project. The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF lined up against it too.
Carlos Cordeiro, a prominent adviser to the FIFA president, resigned in objection to the proposal. Kevin Lamour, the Frenchman serving as FIFA's chief operating officer, also criticised it.
Faced with this revolt across the football world, Infantino was forced to withdraw his controversial project. That did not stop the criticism. UEFA appear to be insisting on removing him from his position, while CONCACAF called for "a review of the international federation's presidency".