Saudi Arabia’s Football Federation threw its support behind embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in a statement issued Thursday, saying the body “stands ready to support constructive engagement wherever helpful”.
The football world has been rocked for weeks by the ongoing dispute over FIFA’s now shelved plan — which was Infantino’s idea — bring private financing into the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia — which will host the World Cup in 2034 — welcomed the joint statement issued by Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom on August 5.
In a statement, the federation “welcomes the acknowledgement of mistakes, the apology, the decision not to proceed with the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and the commitment to review the process, as set out in the recent joint open letter from the FIFA President and Secretary General.
“These were important first steps,” the federation added.
The statement ended up with the federation saying it supported “the continued efforts of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA’s leadership to restore unity across the football family and continue growing the game for the benefit of all.”
The Saudis join 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar and several other Asian member associations in taking a different line to the regional governing body the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) who have been heavily critical of Infantino.
UEFA, whose clubs and national teams dominate football’s global economy, reacted furiously when it emerged in late July FIFA was aiming to create a commercial subsidiary to run its biggest events, such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
The proposal would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in a company created under the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative.
Despite abandoning the project, pressure on Infantino has continued, with the criticism renewed in a joint letter issued by the football confederations of Asia, Europe and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) on August 10.
Infantino, who is seeking a fourth and final term as FIFA president at the election next March in Rabat, rejected calls for his resignation.
