Fifa has told council members they will be able to view key documents at its headquarters in Zurich relating to president Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The move follows Uefa giving Fifa until 2 November to release details about the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal and answer questions about its governance and decision-making.
How the documents will be viewed
Just before Uefa's deadline passed, Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom wrote to council members saying they will be able to view the key documents only in person at Fifa's headquarters in Zurich. Grafstrom wrote that the paperwork will be available "under strict review protocols to preserve confidentiality", and council members were asked to register to see it within the next two weeks. It is unclear which documents will be made available.
What Uefa asked Fifa to explain
Uefa told Fifa that it had failed to address "a number of fundamental questions". Uefa said: "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. These questions require answers now. 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."
Uefa's letter included eight pages of questions on issues including Fifa Forward Enterprise, funding to national associations, the awarding of an inaugural Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and the suspended ban given to USA striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
Grafstrom's response
Grafstrom wrote that Uefa's demand "contains significantly more questions than the Fifa administration could reasonably have anticipated" and that Fifa is "currently working on a response which we will share with all council members in due course."
He also wrote that the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal "could not have proceeded without the cumulative and mandatory approval of the council, and a majority of member associations, and in that event, there would be and has been no penalty to Fifa for withdrawing from the proposal".
Meeting and legal context
The deadline followed a council meeting at which Infantino apologised for the abandoned sell-off proposal but did not give a full explanation of how it was devised, and asked for questions to be submitted in writing. BBC Sport reported that Fifa viewed Uefa's two-week deadline to respond to more than 100 questions as unfeasible because of its recent focus on organising a new youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparations for an extraordinary congress later in November.
BBC Sport reported that sources indicated Fifa's ability to answer some questions is limited by legal action Uefa launched in October in the US, requesting disclosure of evidence and documents and warning it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.
