FIFA's declaration of "full support" for embattled President Gianni Infantino is expected to deepen divisions and ignite a fresh power struggle in world football, sources told the Press Association.
Infantino convened a crisis meeting with FIFA's Management Board in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday after facing more than a week of mounting calls to resign over his proposal to sell stakes in a company that would oversee the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors.
The meeting ended with senior FIFA executives publicly reaffirming their backing for Infantino, emphasizing that he remains "the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations."
The controversial investment proposal was rejected last week by three continental confederations, with UEFA going as far as threatening to boycott FIFA competitions unless the plan was withdrawn.
Even after the plan was withdrawn last Saturday, UEFA said hours later it had "lost confidence" in Infantino's leadership, with a number of European nations, including England and Wales, since withdrawing their support for his re-election next year.
FIFA said "mistakes were acknowledged" at Wednesday's meeting regarding how plans for the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) were developed. The most controversial aspect of the proposal was the planned sale of a 20% stake in FFE to private investors.
"It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA member associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently," the FIFA statement said Wednesday.
"It was further acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to the media."
The statement said a review would take place, with a report to be presented at the next FIFA Council meeting. However, it also insisted "everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework."
The statement said: "With the project withdrawn, it was agreed that FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation."
The Press Association understands anger among national associations has only intensified following the stance adopted by Infantino in Wednesday's statement, particularly the insistence that everything was done within FIFA rules. Sources predicted "open warfare" would now ensue.
Before Wednesday's statement, members of the FIFA Council were understood to be working to secure the majority of 19 votes needed to request that Infantino convene an extraordinary general meeting, where he could be held to account over FFE and the Folarin Balogun case, which had deeply upset some members.
Council members are understood to remain committed to forcing a "governance boycott" if they cannot secure the majority, or if they do secure the majority and Infantino refuses the request to hold a meeting.
Council members intend to stay away from meetings if the matter is not properly addressed, effectively incapacitating FIFA's operations, such is their anger at Infantino's conduct.
FIFA's statement also said Infantino had the "full support" of Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, who was understood Tuesday to have emailed FIFA staff describing the FFE episode as a "sad and reproachable series of events."
Earlier Wednesday, former Portugal star Luis Figo called for Infantino to resign and told the Daily Mail the Swiss official's conduct over FFE was "the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed."
Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, one of this summer's World Cup co-hosts, said he no longer had confidence in Infantino, saying the exclusion of key people from the development of the FFE proposal "should be fatal."
UEFA has been contacted for comment regarding FIFA's statement.
