Infantino remains Fifa president after executive meeting
Fifa president Gianni Infantino will remain in post after receiving the backing of the organisation's senior executives at a meeting held in Rabat, Morocco. The gathering had been called following growing criticism of his now-abandoned plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations to private investors, a proposal that had drawn sharp rebukes from within football's governing bodies.
Uefa said at the weekend it had lost confidence in Infantino, branding the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal a "shabby, back room, opaque deal", while Fifa's own secretary general, Mattias Grofstrom, described the episode in an internal memo as "a sad and reproachable series of events". Despite this internal criticism, Grofstrom and the management board issued a statement after Wednesday's meeting reaffirming their full support for Infantino as president.
- Infantino keeps Fifa presidency after Rabat executive meeting
- Uefa had said it lost confidence over a scrapped sell-off plan
- Fifa's own secretary general had also voiced strong criticism
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Infantino's retention demonstrates responsible governance, as he responded to legitimate criticism by abandoning the flawed proposal, and the executive board's reaffirmation of confidence reflects their judgment that he remains the best leader for Fifa's future. Leadership continuity matters for organisational stability, and removing him would suggest the board cannot constructively work through disagreements.
The case against
The episode reveals fundamental governance failures that Infantino's abandonment of the proposal does not remedy. His own secretary general condemned the handling as 'sad and reproachable', and Uefa's loss of confidence indicates serious credibility damage. Retaining him despite these concerns suggests the board cannot meaningfully hold leadership accountable, perpetuating the opacity and back-room decision-making that undermines Fifa's legitimacy.