Gianni Infantino has apologized for errors made in controversial proposals to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors but will remain as Fifa president. Senior executives in the organization met in Morocco on Wednesday and subsequently released a statement of support for Infantino.

The meeting was called by Infantino himself to address mounting criticism of the aborted plans, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). The proposals, which aimed to generate private investment in Fifa's tournaments, including the World Cups, drew significant backlash.

European football's governing body, Uefa, had previously stated it had lost confidence in Infantino, describing the FFE proposal as a "shabby, back room, opaque deal." Criticism also emerged from within Fifa, with Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom calling the situation "a sad and reproachable series of events" in an internal memo.

Despite internal and external criticism, Grafstrom and the management board reaffirmed their full support for Infantino following the meeting. Infantino and Grafstrom also jointly sent a letter to Fifa's vice-presidents, council, and member associations, offering a "sincere apology for their errors" and committing to preventing similar occurrences.

Fifa acknowledged in a statement that mistakes were made regarding the FFE, particularly concerning the exclusion of the Fifa council and member associations from the process. The organization stated that the process should have been handled differently and that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to the media. The Times newspaper initially broke the story of Infantino's plan on July 28.

The statement also indicated that Fifa will "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process" and will take measures to protect its reputation. This comes after Fifa denied a separate report in The Times suggesting Infantino had promised Morocco the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support, calling the claim "false and misleading."

Infantino, who was first elected Fifa president in 2016, had reportedly offered member associations $40 million if they backed the private investment plan. The decision on the host for the 2030 World Cup final, with Spain and Portugal also hosting parts of the tournament, is expected to be made in due course.

The management board's unified support signals a move to quell internal dissent and project stability, even as questions linger about the transparency and handling of the FFE initiative.