FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised to the organisation’s council over the handling of a controversial proposal to sell a stake in the governing body’s commercial rights to private investors.
The apology came during a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday, October 15, following widespread criticism of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative.
“I apologised for the mistakes we made in the communication and consultation process,” Infantino said, acknowledging shortcomings in how the proposal was presented to the council.
The plan, which was abandoned within days of emerging, would have involved transferring part of FIFA’s commercial rights to a new entity backed by private investment. The proposal reportedly attracted an investment plan valued at about $4.2 billion.
Infantino maintained that the initiative was only a proposal and had never been a concluded deal.
However, his apology has done little to ease concerns among some senior football officials, who have questioned the lack of transparency and the failure to consult council members before details of the plan emerged publicly.
Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt said key questions remained unanswered, including requests for documents relating to the proposal.
UEFA has also criticised the initiative and called for greater accountability over the process.
The controversy comes as Infantino prepares to seek re-election in March 2027, with FIFA facing renewed scrutiny over its governance and decision-making.
FIFA has said a working group will examine its governance framework following the dispute.
