FIFA sends urgent letter to 211 associations, tough statement on Infantino

FIFA sends urgent letter to 211 member associations, acknowledges mistakes, apologizes, and reaffirms full support for President Gianni Infantino.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has just sent an official letter to all 211 member associations to clarify the developments following the emergency meeting in Rabat (Morocco), while acknowledging mistakes in the controversial plan related to raising funds from international tournaments, including the World Cup.

According to AS, the letter signed by Secretary General Mattias Grafström emphasized that the meeting in Rabat was held to evaluate recent events and to agree on a direction for FIFA in the next phase.

Opening the letter, FIFA praised the executive body for successfully organizing the 2026 World Cup, while affirming that this achievement came from the close coordination between President Gianni Infantino, the Secretary General, and the entire executive team.

Notably, FIFA also rejected rumors of internal conflicts. The organization stated that meeting participants expressed full support for President Gianni Infantino who was elected by 211 member associations. In return, Infantino also affirmed his complete trust in Secretary General Grafström and the FIFA executive body.

Besides reaffirming unity, FIFA acknowledged that the process of building the new investment project had many mistakes. "We admit that we made mistakes in preparing the proposal. FIFA never intended to sideline the FIFA Council or the member associations from this process. We should have acted differently."

FIFA also apologized to the associations if they felt affected by the mistakes in the project development process as well as the leaking of documents to the media. The organization committed to conducting a comprehensive review, submitting a report to the FIFA Council at the upcoming meeting, and confirming that the controversial proposal has been officially withdrawn.

Closing the letter, FIFA delivered a strong message that after the project was canceled, the organization will not accept any actions that damage the reputation, transparency, and governance system of FIFA, and is ready to take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.

FIFA emphasized that the recent lessons will help the organization improve in the future, while affirming that it will continue to cooperate with 211 member associations to develop global football through the FIFA Forward program.