FIFA President Gianni Infantino has apologised to the organisation’s governing council over the handling of a controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup to private investors.
Infantino offered the apology on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during a meeting of the FIFA Council in Zurich, Switzerland, following widespread criticism of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
The proposal, which was abandoned in July, involved creating a commercial entity to manage FIFA’s revenue-generating activities, including World Cup commercial rights, and selling a minority stake to private investors in a deal reportedly valued at about $4.2 billion. The plan sparked opposition from several football confederations, which questioned the lack of consultation and transparency surrounding the initiative.
Speaking after the meeting, Infantino acknowledged mistakes in the communication and consultation process but maintained that the proposal had never been a concluded deal. He said the initiative was intended to generate additional funding for FIFA’s 211 member associations.
However, the apology did little to ease concerns among some European football leaders. English Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt called for Infantino to provide answers to outstanding questions, while German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf said FIFA needed a complete leadership and governance overhaul.
The officials also raised concerns over other recent FIFA decisions, including the suspension of the one-match ban imposed on United States forward Folarin Balogun during the 2026 World Cup and the FIFA Peace Prize awarded to US President Donald Trump.
Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, is expected to seek another term in the presidential election scheduled for March 2027. The controversy over the abandoned investment plan has intensified scrutiny of his leadership ahead of the election, although he continues to enjoy support from several football administrators, particularly in Africa.
In a related development, FIFA proposed increasing funding to its member associations from $10 million to $25 million each over the 2027–2030 cycle. The organisation also announced plans to establish a working group to review its governance framework.
Despite the proposed reforms and funding increase, questions remain over the transparency of the abandoned investment plan, with critics insisting that FIFA must provide further explanations and documentation to restore confidence in its leadership.
