FIFA held an emergency meeting to discuss the recent public‑opinion turmoil. Following the meeting, FIFA officially released a meeting summary, reaffirming its full support for Gianni Infantino.
While acknowledging certain missteps in previous operations, FIFA stressed that it will not tolerate external attacks on FIFA’s legitimacy and integrity.
Below is the full text of the meeting summary.
Following the meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, between the FIFA Secretary‑General and participating FIFA management members, full support was reaffirmed for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the sole official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations. The FIFA
President in turn reaffirmed his full support for the necessary and excellent work carried out by the Secretary‑General and FIFA administration in delivering his vision.
The meeting discussed and unanimously agreed that the processes, communications, and interactions between the President, Secretary‑General and management in support of delivering this vision can and should be continuously improved in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.
The meeting recognised the outstanding work of the FIFA administration, which delivered the successful staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, achieved through the President, Secretary‑General and administration acting as one voice and one team.
In this context, FIFA’s top management is fully confident that the outcomes of this meeting will strengthen FIFA’s governance, help restore external trust in the organisation, allow us to prepare for future major competitions and challenges in a united and transparent manner, and continue fulfilling our mission to develop football globally.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative was also discussed, and missteps were acknowledged. The meeting unanimously agreed that it was never the intention to exclude the FIFA Council and member associations, and that the process should have been handled differently. Further missteps were also acknowledged following the media leak of the initiative.
A separate letter to the FIFA Council and member associations has apologised for these missteps and given commitments that they will not recur. Relevant processes will now be reviewed, and a report will be submitted at the next scheduled FIFA Council meeting.
As previously communicated, the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative — which would have required approval from FIFA member associations and the FIFA Council — is no longer under discussion. With the withdrawal of this project, the meeting unanimously agreed that FIFA will not tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.
There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will use this experience to further improve its processes. It should, however, be emphasised that notwithstanding the missteps, all actions were fully compliant with FIFA’s regulatory framework.
FIFA will work closely with relevant stakeholders to explore ways to further support football development through the FIFA Forward initiative for the benefit of the 211 member associations, continental confederations and regional associations.
