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FIFA’s bid to move past the biggest internal crisis of President Gianni Infantino’s reign is unlikely to end scrutiny of how world football is governed as questions linger over whether promised reforms will lead to meaningful change before the March presidential election.
After FIFA’s leadership gathered in Rabat to publicly reaffirm support for Infantino, the governing body apologised on Wednesday to its 211 members for mistakes surrounding the abandoned proposal to sell a slice of the World Cup’s commercial future.
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FIFA also pledged to review the processes that led to the controversy that sparked the fiercest revolt of Infantino’s decade-long tenure after national federations complained they had been sidelined.
In a statement issued after Wednesday’s meeting, FIFA acknowledged that the proposal “should have been handled differently” and said it was not its intention for the FIFA Council or associations to feel excluded from the process.
How will FIFA review Infantino’s failed World Cup sell-off?
As the dust settles, a review will now be conducted before a report is presented to the council at its next meeting. The conciliatory tone marked a stark contrast with the increasingly public criticism that forced FIFA into a retreat.
However, FIFA can no longer dodge questions raised by several confederations, leagues and national associations over how major strategic decisions are made and communicated, and the concerns extend beyond the doomed commercial rights proposal.
The European Leagues criticised FIFA over what it described as an unrealistically short four-week assessment timeline on a separate proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.
The body, which represents more than 1,300 European clubs, reinforced complaints that stakeholders are too often presented with decisions rather than consulted on them.
However, FIFA insists that all actions taken over the commercial rights proposal complied with its regulations and stressed that mistakes were related to process and communications rather than breaches of governance rules.
FIFA also tried to present a united front, warning critics that with the project now abandoned, it would “no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process”.
Infantino, centre, speaks to FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom, left, at the Women’s AFCON 2026 match between Malawi and Zambia in Rabat [AP]How is the lay of the political land for FIFA after Infantino plan?
For Infantino, the immediate priority has been containing the political fallout before March’s presidential election in Morocco, where he will seek a fourth term through 2031.
Wednesday’s meeting delivered that objective with FIFA’s management board and Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom publicly endorsing the president while Infantino returned the backing by praising the administration’s work.
Grafstrom had sent an internal memo to staff lamenting the “sad and reproachable series of events” and although he did not mention Infantino by name, he noted that “individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go.”
Any suggestion of lingering tensions, however, appeared to have been set aside publicly with Infantino later posting a photo of the pair smiling for the camera and giving a thumbs-up at a women’s Africa Cup of Nations match in Rabat.
Will UEFA continue to pursue change at the top of FIFA?
Several influential stakeholders, including European football’s governing body UEFA, have openly questioned Infantino’s leadership while criticism has also emerged from confederations like CONCACAF, which runs the game in North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation.
UEFA confirmed to Al Jazeera on Tuesday that it had issued a “document procurement letter” to FIFA, which is a move to prevent the deletion or destruction of anything that may be used as evidence before any legal action.
At the same time, Infantino continues to enjoy strong support from many smaller associations, particularly across Africa and Asia, where FIFA development funding remains central to national football programmes.
Infantino still appears well placed politically with no viable challenger emerging before the presidential election, but the controversy has shifted the spotlight onto FIFA’s internal decision-making.
Any future proposals that involve commercial strategy, tournament expansion or governance reforms are likely to face significantly greater demands for transparency, consultation and accountability.
What are the most recent reactions to FIFA and Infantino?
Earlier on Wednesday, the European Leagues – which includes the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A – called for governance reform of FIFA on top of its questioning of the 64-team World Cup.
The European Leagues described Infantino’s proposal to spin off a FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) as “dangerous” and said it pointed to deeper concerns about how the governing body operates.
The FFE spin-off, valued by FIFA at $20bn, would have taken control of the football body’s money-making commercial and tournament operations, such as the World Cup, through at least 2038.
The European Leagues said the plan raised “serious questions about FIFA’s governance, internal culture and decision-making.”
“Now 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.”
Portugal and Real Madrid great Luis Figo also called for Infantino to step down, saying he had “debased the office”.
FIFA denied a British media report suggesting Infantino, in seeking support for his presidency, had offered Morocco the final at the 2030 World Cup, which it is hosting with Portugal and Spain.
Morocco hopes to host the final at the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca. Spain has at least two contenders – the home stadiums of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
A FIFA spokesperson said it’s “false 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.”
Also on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he no longer has confidence in Infantino. He said the FIFA president committed a “fatal” governance failure by not consulting senior advisers.
“Certainly I don’t have confidence in Mr. Infantino,” said Carney, who had appeared alongside Infantino at several events during the 2026 World Cup, cohosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The most intense pressure remains that of UEFA.
Even after Infantino’s climbdown, UEFA saying it has lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership appears to pave the way for a challenge to his presidency.
Infantino is aiming to win a fourth and final term in office in the March election. FIFA’s deadline for candidates to raise their hands in November 18.
Whether UEFA shifts its focus to the election or pursues a legal course of action remains to be seen.
Either way, it is highly unlikely that it will sit quietly and fall in line with Infantino as the FIFA executives did in Rabat.
