FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed an independent review of the organisation’s governance framework following the backlash over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) investment plan.
Infantino outlined the proposal in a letter sent on Monday to members of the FIFA Council and presidents of FIFA’s 211 member associations ahead of the Council’s scheduled meeting on October 15.
The FIFA president said he would ask the Council to consider commissioning an external assessment of the organisation’s current governance arrangements for major strategic initiatives and to recommend possible improvements.
He also proposed structured consultations with FIFA’s confederations and member associations on ways to strengthen decision-making within the organisation.
The move follows the collapse of the FFE project, which involved a proposal to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including rights connected to the World Cup and other competitions, to private investors.
The proposal faced strong opposition after details became public before FIFA’s planned institutional process had been completed. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF were among the football bodies that raised concerns over the plan and FIFA’s decision-making process.
Infantino said the premature disclosure of the proposal created the impression that important decisions had already been made before the FIFA Council and member associations had fully considered the plan.
He maintained that the FFE proposal had remained subject to the required approvals and has now been withdrawn.
Legal pressure over FFE plan
The fallout has also moved into legal territory.
UEFA has sought permission from a United States federal court to obtain documents and testimony from FIFA-related entities for possible use in proceedings in Switzerland concerning the abandoned FFE plan. UEFA has said it is considering a criminal complaint involving Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers.
FIFA has rejected UEFA’s characterisation of the legal action, accusing the European governing body of pursuing what it called a campaign against FIFA and its leadership. No criminal charges against Infantino have been established in the material reviewed.
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The controversy has also prompted separate calls for greater scrutiny of FIFA’s finances. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani have proposed an independent review of FIFA’s financial reserves and suggested distributing additional funds to the organisation’s 211 member associations.
Infantino maintains focus on FIFA revenue
Despite the withdrawal of the FFE proposal, Infantino said FIFA would continue looking for ways to increase its resources and direct more money into football development.
He indicated that the issue was not the organisation’s ambition to generate additional revenue but the process through which major initiatives are developed and approved.
The proposed governance review is expected to examine how major strategic decisions are handled within FIFA and the respective roles of the president, Bureau, Council and Congress. Any changes to FIFA’s statutes would require approval by Congress.
The governance debate comes ahead of FIFA’s presidential election scheduled for March 2027, when Infantino is seeking a fourth term. The deadline for potential candidates to enter the race is November 18, according to AP.