Infantino apologizes to FIFA Council for World Cup furor but leaves critics unhappy

ZURICH (AP) — Gianni Infantino apologized to FIFA's ruling council on Thursday for "mistakes" in his secretive investment plan for the World Cup but didn't give details sought by his toughest critics who want to oust him as the president of soccer's governing body.

Soccer officials came to the meeting in Zurich hoping to receive more information about two of the biggest controversies that have surrounded Infantino this year: his now-aborted $4.2 billion World Cup sell-off plan and the Folarin Balogun red-card case at the World Cup where President Donald Trump intervened.

READ MORE: Infantino abandoned his World Cup equity plan after seismic FIFA backlash. Here's what to know

Despite Infantino's apology, European delegates said they left the meeting disappointed about what they saw as a lack of clarity about the two disputes.

"No satisfactory answers were provided," said German soccer leader Bernd Neuendorf, one of eight delegates from European soccer confederation UEFA in the 37-member FIFA Council that Infantino chairs.

Infantino provided no documents about the $4.2 billion World Cup sell-off plan he launched and quickly dropped in July amid a fierce backlash led from Europe.

Nor did he give details to explain the Folarin Balogun red-card case at the World Cup or how U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to help the national team forward, European delegates at the meeting later told reporters.

FIFA will, however, review whether to continue awarding the peace prize that was created to give to Trump last December.

Infantino frustrated European delegates by asking for questions in writing at their only meeting before the Nov. 18 deadline to propose a candidate to oppose him at FIFA's presidential election in March.

"The man has to answer those questions. If he doesn't answer those questions, no, he is not fit to be the FIFA president," said Debbie Hewitt, who leads the English Football Association and is a FIFA vice president.

Infantino was pressed by European soccer officials for written evidence about his secretive private equity plan for a World Cup commercial rights subsidiary with investor Joshua Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.

Known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, the proposal provoked a global rift and the biggest crisis of Infantino's near 11-year presidency.

The FIFA president didn't speak to media after the 3 1/2-hour meeting in Zurich but issued a video statement.

"I apologized for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which then led to many consequences," Infantino said.