UEFA is increasing pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino, sending FIFA an urgent letter containing 42 detailed questions about his presidency. The letter, seen by Sky Sports News, was written on Monday by UEFA secretary general Theodore Theodoridis and sent to his FIFA counterpart Mattias Grafstrom.
The questions cover 12 topics, including 10 alleged conflicts of interest, spread across eight pages. Theodoridis gives FIFA two weeks to respond to concerns raised by European football leaders at the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich last Thursday. He notes that Infantino acknowledged mistakes had been made, but says the explanations provided "have not begun satisfactorily to address a number of fundamental questions."
UEFA has also requested an immediate audio recording of the meeting, another sign that it is demanding full transparency from FIFA. "These questions require answers now," Theodoridis writes. "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."
The first section focuses on the proposed sale of a stake in World Cup tournaments through FIFA Forward Enterprise. UEFA asks why an agreement granting exclusivity to Thrive Capital was signed without prior consultation of the FIFA Council, and who authorised it. Other questions challenge a proposed $20bn valuation when this summer's tournament generated $15bn in revenue, and ask why member associations were offered development funding when FIFA already holds $6bn in cash reserves. Remuneration is also questioned, including a £1.3m payment Infantino received in 2024 on top of his £4m FIFA salary.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing