FIFA’s bid to move past its internal crisis is unlikely to end scrutiny of how world soccer is governed. A day after FIFA’s leadership gathered in Rabat to publicly reaffirm support for Gianni Infantino, the governing body apologized to its 211 members for mistakes surrounding the abandoned proposal to sell a slice of the World Cup’s commercial future.

FIFA Review

FIFA also pledged to review the processes that led to the controversy that sparked the fiercest revolt of Infantino’s tenure after national federations complained they had been sidelined. In a statement issued after Wednesday’s meeting, FIFA acknowledged that the proposal “should have been handled differently” and said it was not their intention for the FIFA Council or associations to feel excluded from the process.

European Leagues criticized FIFA over what it described as an unrealistically short four-week assessment timeline on a separate proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams. The body, which represents over 1,300 European clubs, reinforced complaints that stakeholders are too often presented with decisions rather than consulted on them.

Political Fallout

For Infantino, the immediate priority has been containing the political fallout ahead of March’s presidential election in Morocco, where he will seek a fourth term through 2031. Wednesday’s meeting delivered that objective, with FIFA’s management board and Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom publicly endorsing the president, while Infantino returned the backing by praising the administration’s work.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.