Scandal at the Zurich meeting. FIFA president issues official apology over secret plans

FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologised for his plan to sell the rights to host the World Cup during a three-hour meeting of the organisation’s Council in Zurich.

Details: During the highly tense meeting, the Swiss official apologised for failing to inform members of FIFA’s governing body in advance about his plans to monetise the biggest tournament on the planet. However, the belated admission of wrongdoing did little to ease the standoff between the organisation’s chief and Europe’s key football bodies.

Representatives of European football viewed the behind-the-scenes decisions as a flagrant violation of transparency standards and governance ethics. In particular, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, along with other influential delegates, made it clear that verbal justifications could not restore the trust that had been lost, and continued to demand Infantino’s immediate resignation.

It is worth noting that Gianni Infantino has served as FIFA president since February 2016, when he came to power amid a wave of major corruption scandals within the organisation. In recent months, pressure on the Swiss official has reached a peak: European football authorities have repeatedly voiced their displeasure over the aggressive reform of international tournaments, controversial commercial initiatives and attempts to unilaterally determine the financial policy of world football.

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