FIFA has thrown its full support behind president Gianni Infantino despite the controversy surrounding the now-abandoned proposal to open the FIFA World Cup to private investment.
The endorsement came after an emergency meeting of FIFA's senior leadership in Rabat, Morocco, where officials also admitted mistakes were made in the handling of the proposal.
Infantino had faced mounting pressure, including criticism from within FIFA, over the plan, with calls for his resignation growing after he withdrew the proposal last Saturday.
In a statement issued after Wednesday's meeting, FIFA acknowledged that "errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to the media."
The controversial plan involved creating a new commercial subsidiary known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage major competitions, including the FIFA World Cup and Club World Cup.
FIFA said the initiative could have generated up to $4.2 billion, based on a $20 billion valuation of the new entity.
Under the proposal, each of FIFA's 211 member associations would have received a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, while annual funding for the 2027–2030 cycle would have increased from $8 million to $20 million.
However, the proposal sparked fierce opposition, particularly from European football governing body UEFA, which reportedly threatened to boycott the World Cup if the plan went ahead.
The backlash forced Infantino to abandon the proposal.
"Our purpose has always been and will always be to unite and improve," Infantino said after shelving the plan.
Following the crisis meeting, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and members of the FIFA Management Board reaffirmed their confidence in Infantino.
They described him as "the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations" and pledged their full support for his leadership despite the controversy.

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