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FIFA president Gianni Infantino faced a barrage of tough questions from senior football officials on Thursday regarding his controversial attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, ultimately offering an apology for the failed initiative.
Speaking after a tense behind-closed-doors FIFA Council meeting at the body’s Zurich headquarters, German Football Association (DFB) chief Bernd Neuendorf revealed that leadership figures were left wanting.
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“We asked a great many critical questions, but there were no satisfactory answers from my point of view,” said Neuendorf, who sits on the FIFA Council.
Infantino has been under intense scrutiny since late July when he announced plans to open elite competitions like the World Cup to private equity backing.
The proposal triggered immediate backlash, culminating in a fierce rebellion led by European governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF. Facing insurmountable opposition, the plan was ultimately scrapped.
Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English Football Association and a FIFA vice-president, told reporters that Infantino opened the session by expressing contrition before council members launched a rigorous critique of the process.
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“I think it is fair to say Gianni apologised at the beginning for what had happened, and he said that with some contrition, and then there were no holds barred in terms of what we felt about what happened,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt expressed frustration that council members, who were kept in the dark prior to July’s public announcement—did not receive adequate transparency or documentation regarding the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project during Thursday’s gathering.
