Fifa will permit its council members to inspect select documents concerning president Gianni Infantino’s aborted plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors. The decision comes after European football’s governing body, Uefa, issued a deadline demanding full disclosure on the matter. Nothing has changed’ – FA chair on Infantino.
Hours before the Uefa-imposed deadline expired, Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom communicated to the decision-making body that members could inspect the paperwork under strict conditions. Inspection will be restricted strictly to in-person viewing at Fifa headquarters located in Zurich.
Grafstrom asserted that the restricted, in-person access is necessary to maintain strict confidentiality obligations. Council members who wish to review the material have been instructed to formally register their interest within the next two weeks. It remains unclear which specific documents will be included in the access.
The move follows a contentious council meeting where Infantino, who has served as Fifa president since 2016, apologised for the failed sell-off plot involving the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). However, he declined to fully explain how the scheme was designed, requesting instead that council members submit their questions in writing.
Uefa previously set a 2 November deadline for the global governing body to publish details regarding the FFE scheme and answer over 100 questions concerning governance and internal decision-making. Fifa considered the two-week timeframe unfeasible due to its operational focus on organising a youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparing for an extraordinary congress later this month. Given their recent focus on organising a new youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparations for an extraor, sport has been told Fifa viewed Uefa’s two-week deadline to respond to more than 100 questions as unfeasible.
Fifa’s capacity to address the queries has also been complicated by legal proceedings launched by Uefa in the United States last month. That court filing requests the mandatory disclosure of evidence and documents, alongside warnings that Uefa could potentially lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.
In a formal letter sent to Fifa, Uefa asserted that the world governing body had failed to address fundamental questions. The eight-page query list addressed various matters, including national association funding, the awarding of an inaugural Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and the suspended ban handed to USA striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.
Uefa stated in its letter that withdrawing the FFE proposal, acknowledging mistakes, and promising potential governance reforms failed to clarify how decisions were taken or why the council was excluded at key stages. The European body emphasized that scrutiny of past decisions could not be deferred, hoping the pressure builds ahead of the 18 November cutoff for candidates to enter next year’s Fifa presidential election. But hoped it added to the pressure on Infantino before 18 November, the cut-off date for any candidates to confirm they are standing, uefa did not outline what steps it intended to take should Fifa not meet the deadline.
