2026-08-06 09:04:37

Gianni Infantino has refused to resign as FIFA president despite widespread calls for him to quit following his proposal to sell off stakes in the World Cup.

The head of world football’s governing body has come under increasing pressure for his plans to sell off stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors – which were scrapped last weekend after heavy criticism – but is refusing to leave his position despite Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and former Portugal midfielder Luis Figo both joining calls for his resignation.

After a meeting of the governing body’s staff in Morocco, Infantino has written to FIFA Council members declaring his plans to “restore confidence in the organisation”.

The letter reads: “In this context, we acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).

“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.”

Infantino also issued a veiled threat to FIFA’s critics in the letter.

He wrote: “With the project withdrawn, FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation.

“There are always lessons to be learned, and we will continue to improve our processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done, was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the governing body denied claims that Infantino had promised Morocco that it would host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support.

He said: “It is false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”

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