The European football association (UEFA) has given the FIFA federation a deadline of 2 November to publish key documents and answer all questions regarding governance and decision-making, BBC Sport has learned. In a letter, which BBC Sport has seen, UEFA stated that the FIFA federation had not responded to "numerous fundamental questions".
The letter contains eight pages with a total of 42 questions concerning the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) private investment, the FIFA peace prize and the controversial suspended ban on American striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup. UEFA asked when the FFE idea was first explored, by whom and with what purpose, as well as who within the FIFA federation approved the project's development and which members of FIFA's administration were involved. It also requested an answer on what specific measures the FIFA federation would take to ensure that deficiencies identified in the FFE process are not repeated in the future.
UEFA claims that, according to information from several sources, two days before the executive committee bureau vote on the FFE proposal, the FIFA president informed executive committee members that US authorities were investigating FIFA's administration. It also requested information on whether Infantino would hold or expect to hold any position, role or function in the FFE, during or after his term as FIFA president. UEFA also asked why Thrive Capital was chosen as the main investor, without a tender process and under strict confidentiality conditions, despite links to the family of the FIFA peace prize recipient. It requested an answer on the awarding of the peace prize, specifically who decided to establish it, for what purpose and who decided that Trump should receive it.
When the FFE plan was revealed in the days after the World Cup final, Infantino told the 211 member associations (MAs) that they would receive $40 million (£30 million) if they supported it. He set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept his plans if they wanted access to the initial $20 million (£15 million). After the scheme was abandoned, UEFA and Concacaf called on the FIFA federation to pay at least $10 million (£7.5 million) from its cash reserves to each of the MAs.
Last week Infantino agreed, proposing an increase in funding for football development worldwide by $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion). Releasing money from reserves will result in a doubling of the planned distribution funding levels for MAs from 2027 to 2030, with $25 million (£19 million) available per member. UEFA asked why the significant increase in funding for MAs was presented in connection with the FFE and external investment, rather than being funded directly from FIFA's own resources, and why, given the strong financial position of the FIFA federation, it was necessary to seek investment from private investors.
At the FIFA council on Thursday, president Gianni Infantino apologised for his plan to sell the World Cup, but did not offer a full explanation of how the proposal was designed. UEFA did not specify what steps it intends to take if the FIFA federation does not meet the deadline. Football Association president Debbie Hewitt, a FIFA vice-president, said afterwards that "if he does not answer these questions, he is not capable of being FIFA president". The FIFA federation was contacted for comment, and 18 November is the final deadline for candidates to confirm they are standing against Infantino in the next presidential election.
