FIFA To Share Controversial World Cup Investment Documents To Council Members

FIFA has agreed to make key documents relating to President Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors available to members of its Council, but access will be restricted to its headquarters in Zurich under strict confidentiality rules.

The decision follows pressure from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which gave the world football governing body until 2 November to provide details of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal and answer more than 100 questions concerning its governance and decision-making process.

FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom communicated the decision in a letter to members of the organisation’s main decision-making body, just hours before UEFA’s deadline expired.

According to report by BBC Sport, Council members will be allowed to examine key documents in person at FIFA’s headquarters, subject to what Grafstrom described as “strict review protocols to preserve confidentiality”.

Members have been asked to register their interest in accessing the documents within the next two weeks.

However, FIFA has yet to clarify which documents will be made available or whether the arrangement will address UEFA’s concerns over the proposal.

The controversy followed a FIFA Council meeting last month, where Infantino apologised for the abandoned investment plan but did not provide a comprehensive explanation of how the proposal was developed. He instead requested that Council members submit their questions in writing.

UEFA subsequently accused FIFA of failing to address fundamental questions about the initiative, insisting that withdrawing the proposal and acknowledging mistakes were insufficient without accountability for the decisions that led to it.

In an eight-page letter to FIFA, the European governing body raised concerns about the FFE proposal, funding arrangements for national associations and other governance issues.

It also questioned FIFA’s decision to award an inaugural Peace Prize to United States President Donald Trump and the controversial suspended ban imposed on USA striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.

“The withdrawal of FFE, the acknowledgement of mistakes and the announcement of ‘potential governance reforms’ do not answer how the relevant decisions were taken or why the FIFA Council was not involved at the appropriate stage,” UEFA stated.

“These questions require answers now. They cannot be deferred until the next meeting of the FIFA Council – nor can future governance reforms substitute for scrutiny of decisions already taken and accountability for them.”

In his response, Grafstrom argued that UEFA’s demand contained considerably more questions than FIFA’s administration could reasonably have anticipated.

He said the organisation was working on a response that would be shared with all Council members in due course.

Grafstrom also maintained that the FFE proposal could not have proceeded without the cumulative and mandatory approval of the FIFA Council and a majority of member associations.

He added that FIFA would not have incurred any financial penalty for withdrawing from the proposal, as it eventually did.

Meanwhile, sources told BBC Sport that FIFA considered UEFA’s two-week deadline to respond to more than 100 questions unrealistic, citing its commitments to organising a new youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparations for an extraordinary congress later this month.

The governing body’s response has also reportedly been complicated by legal action initiated by UEFA in the United States in October, seeking the disclosure of evidence and documents relating to the controversy. UEFA has also warned that it could file a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

The dispute comes at a sensitive time for Infantino, with 18 November marking the deadline for prospective challengers to confirm their intention to contest next year’s FIFA presidential election.

Although UEFA has not disclosed what further action it might take if FIFA’s response fails to address its concerns, the disagreement has intensified scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership and the governing body’s decision-making procedures.