ZURICH (The Thursday Times) — Fifa has told members of its council they can see documents on president Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, but only in person at its headquarters in Zurich, just as a deadline set by Uefa ran out.
Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom wrote to members hours before the November 2 deadline, saying the conditions were needed to preserve confidentiality obligations. Members have two weeks to say they want to see the paperwork on the plan, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise.
Uefa had demanded details of the proposal and answers to more than 100 questions on how decisions were made. Infantino apologised for the plan at a council meeting last month but did not fully explain how it came about, and asked for questions in writing.
“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 wrote. “These questions require answers now.”
Uefa’s eight pages of questions also cover funding for national associations, the first Fifa Peace Prize given to US President Donald Trump, and the suspended ban for USA striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
Sources said Fifa saw a two-week deadline for so many questions as unworkable, with a youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and an extraordinary congress this month. They also said its answers are limited by legal action Uefa launched in the US in October, seeking disclosure of evidence and documents. Uefa has warned it could file a criminal complaint in Switzerland.
The pressure comes before November 18, the last date for candidates to confirm they will stand against Infantino in next year’s presidential election.
