Gianni Infantino gets internal support at crisis meeting to remain as FIFA president

FIFA said Wednesday it had apologized for errors made over Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and that senior staff in attendance at a crisis meeting in Morocco "reaffirmed their full support" for his presidency.

World soccer's governing body attempted to present a unified front amid the turbulence caused by Infantino's controversial plans, with calls for him to step down.

In a statement, FIFA said Secretary General Mattias Grafström and members of the management board in attendance in Rabat had given their support to the embattled president.

Referring to the plans to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the statement said "mistakes made were acknowledged" and that the "process should have been handled differently."

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FIFA said a letter had been sent to FIFA Council and member associations apologizing for errors and committed to "ensure they do not happen again."

Grafström's stated support was notable after he distanced himself from Infantino's now abandoned plans in an email to all FIFA staff calling the last week a "sad and reproachable series of events."

FIFA said Infantino had also reaffirmed his support for his secretary general.

World soccer's governing said the FFE proposal was "now off the table."

"There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience," it said.

It remains to be seen if the meeting will ease the pressure on Infantino.

Earlier Wednesday, the association of European soccer leagues —