At showdown FIFA meeting, Infantino apologizes for World Cup furor but leaves critics unhappy

ZURICH (AP) — Gianni Infantino apologized to FIFA’s ruling council on Thursday for “mistakes” in his secretive investment plan for the World Cup but didn’t give details sought by his toughest critics who want to oust him as the president of soccer’s governing body.

Soccer officials came to the meeting in Zurich hoping to receive more information about two of the biggest controversies that have surrounded Infantino this year: his now-aborted $4.2 billion World Cup sell-off plan and the Folarin Balogun red-card case at the World Cup where President Donald Trump intervened.

Despite Infantino’s apology, European delegates said they left the meeting disappointed about what they saw as a lack of clarity about the two disputes.

“No satisfactory answers were provided,” said German soccer leader Bernd Neuendorf, one of eight delegates from European soccer confederation UEFA in the 37-member FIFA Council that Infantino chairs.

Infantino provided no documents about the $4.2 billion World Cup sell-off plan he launched and quickly dropped in July amid a fierce backlash led from Europe.

Nor did he give details to explain the Folarin Balogun red-card case at the World Cup or how U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to help the national team forward, European delegates at the meeting later told reporters.

FIFA will, however, review whether to continue awarding the peace prize that was created to give to Trump last December.

Infantino frustrated European delegates by asking for questions in writing at their only meeting before the Nov. 18 deadline to propose a candidate to oppose him at FIFA’s presidential election in March.

“The man has to answer those questions. If he doesn’t answer those questions, no, he is not fit to be the FIFA president,” said Debbie Hewitt, who leads the English Football Association and is a FIFA vice president.

She said Infantino offered his apology “with some contrition.”

FIFA says details of investment proposal are confidential

Infantino was pressed by European soccer officials for written evidence about his secretive private equity plan for a World Cup commercial rights subsidiary with investor Joshua Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

Known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, the proposal provoked a global rift and the biggest crisis of Infantino’s near 11-year presidency.

The FIFA president didn’t speak to media after the 3 1/2-hour meeting in Zurich but issued a video statement.

“I apologized for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which then led to many consequences,” Infantino said.

He noted that it was “just a proposal, so in no way a done deal.”

FIFA said in a separate statement details of the investor project “remain confidential due to ongoing legal proceedings in the United States.”

The council is the main decision-making body at FIFA with a global spread of officials — most are presidents of their national federation, like Cindy Parlow Cone of the U.S. — who are elected by their continental soccer bodies for four-year terms.

FIFA pays each an annual stipend of $250,000, with $300,000 for the continental presidents.

UEFA pursues legal action against FIFA, Infantino and Kushner in the U.S.

European soccer’s ruling body UEFA is leading attempts to remove Infantino before or at the FIFA presidential election in March.

Infantino infuriated soccer leaders in Europe, North America and Asia by working for months in secret on the Kushner plan. It deepened a long-standing perception in UEFA that the FIFA boss plans his biggest projects without consulting them.

“We need a person of integrity, someone who can be expected to restore the reputation of the association, which has undoubtedly been lost,” Neuendorf told reporters.

UEFA also has asked courts in the United States for the right to get evidence for a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland. The court filings allege possible mismanagement of FIFA finances in the value he put on the intended subsidiary running tournament commercial rights.

It was to be at least 20% owned by investors led by Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

FIFA lawyers’ filings in response to stall or stop the evidence requests said they were a “smear campaign” by UEFA.

Support for Infantino comes from Africa

For most of the last 50 years, FIFA voters from Africa — which now counts 54 of the 211 member federations — have been key to gaining and staying in power.

“The key point for us,” said FIFA Council member Ahmed Yahya, the head of Mauritania’s soccer federation, “is that we see Gianni as the right person to continue leading football.”

Infantino’s offer to add $15 million in FIFA funding to each of the 211 members over the next four years made progress Thursday. They already were sure to get $10 million each from FIFA through 2030.

“I’ve said that President Gianni Infantino is taking football forward worldwide,” Yahya said. “I come from the African continent and know what I’m talking about.”

The FIFA presidential election meeting is on March 18 in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, which is a political ally of Infantino. Its soccer leader Fouzi Lekjaa is an influential council member. Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

Morocco also is competing with Spain, an influential member of UEFA, to host the final in 2030. That FIFA decision is a potential factor in election alliances until March.

Next FIFA Council in Qatar which is supporting Infantino

The FIFA Council should next meet on Dec. 16 in Doha, Qatar — the 2022 World Cup host that still is loyal to Infantino.

Another ally is Azerbaijan — whose most senior soccer official Elkhan Mammadov is an aide in Infantino’s inner circle — which will host a global boys’ tournament for under-15 teams later this month. That event shapes to be a lobbying opportunity for his campaign.

FIFA also will host an extraordinary congress on Nov. 23 — five days after the candidate deadline — to confirm hosts for the Women’s World Cup in 2031 and 2035. The only bids are a U.S.-Mexico-Costa Rica-Jamaica plan for 2031 and the four United Kingdom federations for 2035.

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Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press