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.
“It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently. It was further acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to (the) media.”
The statement also said an “apology was made” in a letter sent to the organization’s council and member associations for the “errors” made.
Earlier in the day, Luis Figo publicly said the beleaguered president “must go.”
In an op-ed obtained by CNN and first published by the Daily Mail, Figo, who won four La Liga titles, a Champions League trophy and the Ballon d’Or during his glittering career, called Infantino’s conduct “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.”
The former Portuguese standout did not hold back on his calls for Infantino to step aside.
“The man who would do that – the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends – is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future,” Figo wrote.
“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go,” he said.
Not everyone has opposed the plan. While governing bodies representing Europe, Asia and North and Central America all criticized the proposal, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has, so far, not taken a stance. However, five of Africa’s most important soccer administrators have expressed their support for Infantino, according to Reuters. African soccer is more dependent on the money distributed by FIFA than other continents.
European soccer body UEFA has threatened to take legal action against FIFA over Infantino’s proposition.
Last week, UEFA led the backlash with its 55 member federations agreeing to boycott all FIFA events and competitions while the proposal was active.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Christina MacFarlane, Pallabi Munsi Patrick Sung Cuadrado and Issy Ronald contributed to this report.
