Infantino remains FIFA president following crisis meeting

Under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino has shaken off calls to resign - for now - with the backing of the governing body's leaders, though apologised for "mistakes" in his botched attempts to sell off a stake in the World Cup.In a statement released after seven hours of crisis talks in Morocco, FIFA said its management board had re-affirmed their "full support" for Infantino - including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, only days after he had labelled the World Cup plans "a sad and reproachable series of events". Infantino had faced mounting calls to resign following the leak of previously undiscussed proposals, after it was revealed national associations had not been consulted and had been given a deadline barely a month away in mid-September and the promise of a £30.1m incentive should they back them. In a letter seen by Sky News sent to national associations and signed by Infantino and Grafstrom, the pair wrote that they "sincerely apologised for the errors" in the plans which were eventually withdrawn on Saturday following days of criticism from around world football.A second statement released on FIFA.com hit back at FIFA's critics, threatening that it would "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". FIFA said it had "not been the intention… for member associations to feel excluded from the process" and admitted they should have been "handled differently", while promising a review would be conducted and a report into its findings presented at the next FIFA Council, comprising 37 national representatives from around world football. Infantino and FIFA's reputation had taken increasing hits from inside and outside of its own walls over the plans with Arsene Wenger, its chief of global football development, distancing himself publicly while Infantino's personal senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro quit his role on Friday, labelling them a "bad deal" and "irresponsible". The head of the Jordan FA went further by accusing Infantino of "blackmail", while UEFA announced it had "lost confidence in the current FIFA leadership" and the FA called for a "full and robust review of FIFA's leadership".Those calls had grown further on Wednesday as legendary winger Luis Figo labelled Infantino's actions "the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed" while Canada prime minister Mark Carney - whose country had welcomed Infantino in as World Cup co-hosts only weeks earlier - said the incident should be "fatal" for his position as FIFA president.FIFA did not address those calls directly and instead said the marathon meeting would "strengthen FIFA's governance, help restore confidence in the organisation and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner".