Infantino pressed to release files on abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan
FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces fresh pressure to release documents linked to the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal after a tense three-and-a-half-hour Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday.
What we know
- The FIFA Forward Enterprise plan was dropped days after details of the proposal emerged.
- The scheme would have transferred a substantial share of FIFA commercial rights to private investors.
- European and North American Council members have demanded full access to papers from the failed talks.
- Infantino accepted he had made a mistake by not consulting FIFA’s Council before engaging with outside financiers.
- Football Association chair and FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt said the apology did not resolve concerns, with key questions about the documents still unanswered.
- Hewitt said Infantino should not remain FIFA president if he does not provide the requested information immediately.
What happens next
Infantino must now decide whether to disclose the FFE negotiation material to FIFA’s Council. Hewitt said the issue has become a test of his position, stating: “I think the man has to answer those questions and if he doesn’t answer those questions now, he’s not fit to be FIFA president.”
