Through an official communication addressed to the Council members, FIFA's leadership admitted that there were errors during the development of the proposal for the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise, an initiative that raised questions within the organization and had repercussions in various sectors of international football.
In the letter, Infantino and Grafström pointed out that the process could have been managed in a more appropriate manner and acknowledged that some stakeholders involved may have felt excluded during the analysis and discussion stages.
The document also highlighted the work done by FIFA's administration during the organization of the 2026 World Cup. According to the signatories, the success of the tournament was made possible by the coordinated work between the presidency, the general secretariat, and the executive team of the organization.
“First of all, the great work of FIFA's Administration was recognized, which ensured the successful development of the FIFA World Cup 2026. This would not have been possible without the FIFA President, the Secretary General, and FIFA's Administration acting with one voice and working as one team,” the document states.
Additionally, it was noted that support was expressed during the meeting for Gianni Infantino, who was reaffirmed as the highest authority elected by the 211 member associations that make up FIFA.
“To avoid any doubt, the FIFA Secretary General and the Board of Directors present at the meeting reaffirmed their full support for the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, as the only authority officially elected by the 211 member associations of FIFA. In turn, the FIFA President reiterated his full support for the Secretary General and FIFA's Administration for their indispensable and outstanding work in advancing his vision,” the communication states.
One of the most sensitive points addressed in the letter was the leak of information related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise. The leadership acknowledged that there were also errors in the management following the public dissemination of the project, a situation that amplified the controversy and raised questions about the transparency of the procedure.
Regarding this point, it states: “We recognize that errors were made during the proposal process for the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). Of course, it was never the intention of the FIFA Council or the member associations for anyone to feel excluded from the process, and it should have been managed differently. We also acknowledge that errors were made after the proposal was leaked to the media.”
As part of the announced measures, FIFA's leadership confirmed that it will conduct a comprehensive review of what occurred. The objective will be to identify the failures in the management of the project and establish mechanisms to prevent similar situations in the future.
“We sincerely apologize for these errors and commit to ensuring they do not happen again. With that goal, we will carry out the necessary review and present a report to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting,” the letter states.
