Also known as: Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom
FIFA secretary general who, alongside president Gianni Infantino, apologized for errors in the controversial World Cup commercial proposal.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Mattias Grafström
Every mention in the Ghanaian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
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’ – IranThe 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 plansFIFA has approved the formation of a normalisation committee to oversee the Nigeria Football Federation until new executive leadership is elected, following a leadership crisis. The committee, to be appointed jointly by FIFA and CAF, must complete its work by May 31, 2027, and members are barred from contesting for positions in the next NFF leadership.
23 October 2026 · Joy Online →
FIFA has approved the formation of a normalisation committee to oversee the Nigeria Football Federation until new executive leadership is elected, following a leadership crisis. The committee, to be appointed jointly by FIFA and CAF, must complete its work by May 31, 2027, and members are barred from contesting for positions in the next NFF leadership.
23 October 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA and CONCACAF have written to FIFA president Gianni Infantino calling on FIFA to pay at least $10m from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle for infrastructure and football development. The demand follows FIFA's scrapping of a private equity proposal after widespread opposition from national associations.
19 September 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
17 September 2026 · Joy Online →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →