Despite growing calls for Gianni Infantino to step down as FIFA president following his controversial high-profile proposal to sell off commercial and operational rights to the World Cup, he retained the backing of FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and other members of FIFA management, according to a statement released by the organization late Wednesday.
The declaration of support for the embattled leader followed a crisis meeting held with senior officials from the world soccer governing body in Morocco.
The statement says the result of Wednesday’s meeting “will strengthen FIFA’s governance, help restore confidence in the organisation and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner while continuing our mission to develop the game around the world.”
Infantino posted a similar message on Instagram along with a picture of himself sitting next to Grafström while giving thumbs-up.
His divisive business proposal, which was quickly scrapped, was addressed in the statement and acknowledged that “mistakes” were made.
