Gianni Infantino, who reached the milestone of a decade as Fifa president in February 2026, faced intense scrutiny during a recent meeting of the Fifa Council in Zurich. The session marked the first assembly since the emergence of the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. Gianni Infantino celebrated 10 years as Fifa president in February 2026. President Gianni Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan – but has been told he is not fit to lead unless he releases all of the documents and answers key questions.
Under the now-scrapped FFE initiative, which Infantino withdrew just days after it surfaced, a significant portion of Fifa’s commercial rights would have been offloaded to a private investment firm. During the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, the president offered an apology to the council, though members pressed him for further accountability regarding the proposal’s origins and internal processes.
Football Association chair and Fifa vice-president Debbie Hewitt noted that despite the president’s show of contrition, many critical inquiries remain unresolved. “One of the disappointing things is that we didn’t get answers to anything that we had specifically requested, such as the documentation behind the FFE,” Hewitt stated, adding that council members were asked to submit their follow-up questions in writing.
Hewitt delivered a stern assessment of the situation, asserting that transparency is a prerequisite for the presidency. “I think the man has to answer those questions and if he doesn’t answer those questions now, he’s not fit to be Fifa president,” she remarked, confirming that this sentiment was shared by others present during the deliberations. Then there were no holds barred in terms of what we felt about what had happened,” she added.
The discussion also touched upon other administrative matters, including the handling of US striker Folarin Balogun’s suspended red-card ban, updates on the Fifa Peace Prize, and the management of funding for various national associations.
Uefa, which has consistently called for Infantino to resign, continues to pursue legal avenues regarding the matter. The European governing body has prepared criminal proceedings and filed claims in three separate US courts, seeking the formal release of all documents pertaining to the FFE proposal. Share it with us, if you regret it that deeply.
Reflecting on Uefa’s stance, Hewitt indicated that the climate of distrust persists. “From my position, nothing has shifted. I’ve no new information that makes me feel any differently, other than we do have a president who is apologetic,” she concluded.
