Ghana Minute.
Friday, 18 September 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Friday, 18 September 2026
Accra—:—London—:—New York—:—Beijing—:—
Ghanaian press · Person

Mattias Grafström

Also known as: Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom

FIFA secretary general who co-signed an apology letter with president Infantino regarding a cancelled World Cup commercialisation plan.

2026-05-042026-09-18

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. September 2026
  2. Joy Online

    The letter, also sent to FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, accuses the world football governing body of governance failures and a breakdown in culture.

    FA chair demands Infantino release World Cup sell-off documents
  3. August 2026
  4. Daily Guide

    At least I’ll sleep well tonight.” The precise circumstances of his sacking are unclear but the FIFA secretary general, Mattias Grafström, informed staff in an email that Lamour would be leaving the organisation.

    FIFA Chief Sacked After Criticism Of Infantino’s World Cup Sell-Off Plan
  5. The Ghanaian Times

    Much criticism has come from within FIFA, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who was at Wednesday’s meeting.

    Infantino sorry for errors but stays FIFA president
  6. Joy Online

    nfantino’s tenure as national federations complained they had been sidelined over the abandoned proposal to sell a slice of the World Cup’s commercial future. “CAF welcomes and endorses the “Joint Update” by ​FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom

    Infantino finds a friend in Africa as CAF backs FIFA president
  7. Joy Online

    Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, Infantino’s right-hand man, had been critical in an internal memo to staff, calling the FFE proposals “a sad and reproachable series of events”.

    Uefa says boycott may still go ahead as FA withdraws Infantino support
  8. Joy Online

    Much criticism has come from within Fifa, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who was at Wednesday’s meeting.

    Infantino sorry for errors but stays Fifa president
  9. Joy Online

    Fifa’s chief of global football development Arsene Wenger, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, and Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, all made clear their opposition to Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise.

    Infantino calls executive meeting as criticism mounts
  10. Joy Online

    It is completed by Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. Escalation in Fifa and Uefa feud By Dan Roan, Sports editor This heaps yet more pressure on the beleaguered Fifa president Gianni Infantino, and is further evidence that the revolt against him over the FFE saga

    English FA set to withdraw support for Fifa president Infantino
  11. May 2026
  12. Joy Online

    FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom wrote to express regret for the “inconvenience and disappointment” and has invited FFIRI to Zurich for a meeting about their World Cup preparations on 20 May.

    Our World Cup host ‘is Fifa, not Trump or America’ – Iran
  13. The Ghanaian Times

    FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, has invited an Iranian delegation to its headquarters by a May 20 deadline, a person familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Friday.

    Iran officials to meet FIFA over World Cup plans
Politics

FA chair calls for FIFA to release World Cup commercialisation documents

The News

England's Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has demanded that FIFA president Gianni Infantino release all documents relating to his cancelled plan to sell a 21% stake in World Cup commercial and ticketing rights to a private investment company. Hewitt's letter, sent before the next FIFA Council meeting on 15 October, also calls for an independent review of the proposal and accuses FIFA of governance failures.

9 hours ago · Joy Online

Yesterday

  1. FA chair calls for FIFA to release World Cup commercialisation documents

    England's Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has demanded that FIFA president Gianni Infantino release all documents relating to his cancelled plan to sell a 21% stake in World Cup commercial and ticketing rights to a private investment company. Hewitt's letter, sent before the next FIFA Council meeting on 15 October, also calls for an independent review of the proposal and accuses FIFA of governance failures.

    9 hours ago · Joy Online

Wednesday 19 August

  1. FIFA chief operating officer sacked after criticizing World Cup plan

    Kevin Lamour, FIFA's chief operating officer, has been dismissed after publicly criticizing Gianni Infantino's plan to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors. Lamour, who had warned that FIFA's administration had been "deceived" and that the plan would be shelved, departed less than two years after joining from UEFA.

    19 August 2026 · Daily Guide

Friday 7 August

  1. Infantino apologises for errors, retains FIFA presidency

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologised for "errors" in controversial plans to sell competition stakes to private investors but will remain in his position after receiving backing from FIFA's management board in Rabat. UEFA and others had criticised the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal as an "opaque deal," but Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a letter to member associations apologising and pledging to prevent similar incidents.

    7 August 2026 · The Ghanaian Times

  2. CAF unanimously backs Infantino amid UEFA boycott threat

    The Confederation of African Football's Executive Committee unanimously confirmed support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday, contrasting with opposition from UEFA, which committed to boycotting future World Cups while Infantino remains in office. CAF, which comprises 54 of FIFA's 211 member associations, backs Infantino's March re-election bid, with CAF president Patrice Motsepe welcoming FIFA's pledge to review processes that sparked the controversy over the abandoned World Cup commercial proposal.

    7 August 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 6 August

  1. UEFA threatens World Cup boycott over Infantino plan

    UEFA says European teams could still boycott competitions including the World Cup, as the governing body maintains its conditions have not been met despite Infantino's scrapped plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors. The English FA has withdrawn support for Infantino, and UEFA says it has lost confidence in his presidency.

    6 August 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 5 August

  1. Infantino apologises for competition sale plan, retains FIFA presidency

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologised for "errors" in controversial proposals to sell stakes in competitions to private investors, but retained his position after receiving backing from FIFA's management board at a meeting in Morocco. UEFA and others had criticised the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal as opaque, but Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a letter to FIFA members sincerely apologising and committing that such errors "will not happen again."

    5 August 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Infantino convenes executive meeting amid Fifa controversy

    Gianni Infantino, Fifa's president, has called an executive meeting in Morocco after facing widespread criticism of his plan to sell off the organisation's commercial and event operations. Senior Fifa officials including Arsene Wenger, Mattias Grafstrom, and Prince Ali have publicly opposed the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal.

    5 August 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 3 August

  1. English FA withdraws support for Fifa president Infantino

    The English Football Association is set to withdraw support from Fifa president Gianni Infantino following fallout from his scrapped plans to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors. The move comes as Uefa threatens legal action and Wales withdraws backing for Infantino's bid to remain Fifa president.

    3 August 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 6 May

  1. Iran's football chief demands respect for IRGC at World Cup

    Iran's football chief Mehdi Taj says their World Cup host "is FIFA, not Mr Trump or America" and has called for respect towards the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps if Iran's national team is to travel to the United States for the tournament. Taj's visa was cancelled by Canada while traveling to FIFA Congress in Vancouver due to his links to the IRGC, listed as a terrorist organisation in Canada and the US.

    6 May 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 4 May

  1. Iran to meet FIFA over World Cup participation plans

    Iranian soccer officials will meet FIFA in Zurich by May 20 to discuss participation in the U.S.-hosted World Cup in June. Iran's ability to attend has been questioned since military attacks on Feb. 28.

    4 May 2026 · The Ghanaian Times

Mattias Grafström — Ghanaian press coverage · Ghana Minute