The world of football was abuzz with anticipation regarding a potential shift in leadership at FIFA, particularly concerning the controversial president Gianni Infantino. However, any hopes for a change were dashed during a recent crisis meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, where Infantino received unequivocal backing from the FIFA executive committee. A statement released following the meeting asserted, "After a gathering in Rabat, the FIFA Secretary-General and the attending members of the FIFA Executive Board reaffirmed their unwavering support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino." This display of solidarity comes at a time when Infantino's leadership has faced significant scrutiny and criticism.

Interestingly, Infantino also expressed full support for his Secretary-General Mattias Grafström, despite Grafström having distanced himself from Infantino in public and describing a "sad series of events" in an internal email. Nonetheless, both officials were spotted together in the stands during a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia, indicating a united front amidst the turmoil.

FIFA insiders are predicting that Infantino, who has been in office since 2016, will be re-elected in March. This comes in spite of the recent investor scandal that led to widespread outrage, with many associations threatening to boycott the World Cup, and UEFA officially withdrawing its confidence in the Swiss president. However, the dissenting voices from the 55 UEFA countries are insufficient to unseat Infantino, given the overwhelming number of 211 FIFA member nations.

Additionally, FIFA acknowledged mistakes in its processes, stating that it never intended to make the FIFA Council and member associations feel excluded from decision-making, recognizing that the process should have been handled differently. In light of sharp criticism, FIFA declared, "We will not tolerate any attacks on our integrity and will take all necessary measures to defend our reputation." This follows a contentious report from the Times, which claimed that Infantino had promised Morocco the right to host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for the country's support for his presidency. FIFA promptly denied this allegation.

As reported by bild.de.