FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised for his World Cup sell-off plan at a three-hour FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday. His expression of regret for not telling the council about his plans earlier was not good enough for European football leaders, including FA chair Debbie Hewitt, who still want him to resign.
UEFA wants Infantino to release all documents relating to the plan, as it believes the 20 per cent stake in all future FIFA tournaments was being sold for a knockdown price. The plan, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would have brought together the sale of FIFA's commercial rights, including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing, with the operational delivery of its tournaments. Infantino had given football associations until September 19 to back the proposals, with a £30.1m incentive to accept. The proposals drew fierce criticism from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and Infantino abandoned them after this summer's World Cup.
Council members were also expected to question Infantino on several other controversies. These included the decision to suspend the one-match ban of USA striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, the FIFA Peace Prize given to USA President Donald Trump, and an additional £1.3m fee he received in 2024 on top of his FIFA salary.
Hewitt called on Infantino to answer questions about the World Cup plan and the Balogun case. She said Council members had not received answers to "anything we had specifically requested" and said that if he does not answer, he is "not fit to be FIFA president." Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol said that saying sorry is not enough for European football leaders, who want Infantino out and see this as the latest in a long list of scandals.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing