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Fifa announced that key documents concerning President Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup will be shared with council members under strict review protocols. The move comes after European football’s governing body, UEFA, established a November 2 deadline for Fifa to release details and answer governance questions regarding the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal.
Review Protocols and Zurich Headquarters
Hours before UEFA’s deadline expired, Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom informed members of the main decision-making body that they can examine the paperwork in person at the organization’s headquarters in Zurich. According to a letter seen by BBC Sport, access will be granted under rigorous review protocols designed to maintain confidentiality, with council members instructed to register their visits within two weeks. It remains undetermined which specific documents will be made available for review.
Sources reported to BBC Sport that Fifa considered UEFA’s two-week timeframe to answer over 100 questions unfeasible due to concurrent workloads, including organizing a youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparing for an extraordinary congress later this month. Additionally, sources noted that ongoing legal action launched by UEFA in October in the US—seeking document disclosure and threatening a Swiss criminal complaint—restricts Fifa’s ability to answer certain questions.
UEFA’s Scrutiny and Questions
UEFA previously stated that Fifa had failed to address multiple fundamental issues. The eight-page inquiry covered topics ranging from the FFE proposal and national association funding to the awarding of a Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump and a suspended ban given to USA striker Folarin Balogun during the tournament.
UEFA’s communication emphasized that withdrawing the proposal, acknowledging errors, and promising governance reforms do not explain how decisions were made or why the council was excluded from appropriate stages. UEFA noted that these answers cannot wait until the next Fifa Council meeting or be replaced by future reforms.
Fifa’s Response
In his letter, Grafstrom stated that UEFA’s request contained considerably more questions than the administration could have reasonably anticipated, adding that a full response is currently being prepared for all council members. He maintained that the FFE proposal required cumulative approval from both the council and a majority of member associations, and confirmed that Fifa faced no penalty for withdrawing the plan.
UEFA has been approached for comment regarding the unfolding developments ahead of the November 18 deadline for candidates to confirm challenges against Infantino in next year’s presidential election.
