FIFA has reaffirmed its commitment to unity, transparency and good governance following a high-level meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where the organisation’s top leadership pledged to strengthen internal processes and restore confidence after the withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
The meeting brought together FIFA Secretary General, members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
At the meeting, the Management Board unanimously reaffirmed its full support for Infantino, describing him as the only official elected by FIFA’s 211 Member Associations.
In response, the FIFA President expressed his unwavering support for the Secretary General and the FIFA Administration, commending their efforts in implementing his vision for world football.
FIFA said discussions focused on improving communication, coordination and decision-making between the President, the Secretary General and the FIFA Management Board.
The organisation acknowledged that while existing structures have delivered major successes, there is room to make governance processes more effective and efficient.
The leadership also praised the FIFA Administration for its role in the successful organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, noting that the achievement was made possible through close collaboration between the President, the Secretary General and the entire administration.
According to FIFA, the outcomes of the Rabat meeting are expected to strengthen the organisation’s governance framework, rebuild confidence among stakeholders and better prepare the world football governing body for future competitions and emerging challenges while continuing its mission of developing football globally.
A significant part of the discussions centred on the now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. FIFA admitted that mistakes were made during the handling of the project, particularly in the consultation process with the FIFA Council and Member Associations.
The organisation acknowledged that it was never the intention to make Member Associations or the FIFA Council feel excluded from the process and admitted that communication errors worsened the situation after details of the proposal were leaked to the media.
FIFA disclosed that a separate letter of apology has been sent to the FIFA Council and all 211 Member Associations, accepting responsibility for the errors and assuring stakeholders that similar shortcomings would not be repeated.
The governing body also confirmed that a comprehensive review of the FFE process will be carried out, with a report scheduled to be presented at the next FIFA Council meeting.
FIFA reiterated that the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal has now been completely withdrawn and is no longer under consideration.
It stressed that although procedural mistakes were made, all actions taken were in full compliance with FIFA’s regulatory framework.
Looking ahead, FIFA pledged to work closely with confederations, regional associations and its 211 Member Associations to explore new ways of strengthening the existing FIFA Forward Programme, ensuring continued investment in football development across all member nations.
The organisation also declared that it will firmly defend its integrity, governance standards and reputation while applying lessons learned from the FFE episode to improve its decision-making processes in the future.
