FIFA President Gianni Infantino has apologised to members of the organisation’s Council following the withdrawal of a controversial investment proposal that could have transferred part of the world football governing body’s commercial rights to a private investment company.
The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, was withdrawn shortly after it became public.
However, the circumstances surrounding the plan have continued to raise concerns about transparency and accountability within the organisation.
According to BBC Sport on Thursday, the FIFA Council held its first meeting in Zurich since details of the proposal emerged, with Infantino facing questions about the abandoned initiative and other contentious issues, including the suspended red-card ban involving United States striker Folarin Balogun, the FIFA Peace Prize and funding for national football associations.
Following the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Football Association chair and FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt expressed disappointment over the Council’s inability to obtain satisfactory answers to its questions.
“One of the disappointing things is that we didn’t get answers to anything that we had specifically requested, for example, getting the papers from FFE,” Hewitt said.
She explained that she had made several requests for the relevant documents but had yet to receive them.
“I asked the question ‘why not?’, and we were asked to submit those questions in writing,” she said.
Hewitt insisted that Infantino must address the outstanding concerns, warning that his suitability to continue as FIFA president would remain in doubt until the necessary explanations and documents were provided.
“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, and that was what was shared in the meeting,” she said, describing the position expressed during the meeting.
She maintained that access to the FFE documents was essential for Council members to understand why the proposal was developed and assess whether the people involved had acted appropriately.
“The responses to those questions, which I still don’t have answers to, will determine from my personal point of view whether or not Gianni is the right candidate,” she said.
Hewitt also noted that it would be difficult to determine individual responsibility without a clear understanding of the events surrounding the proposal.
Although she acknowledged that Infantino had expressed regret during the meeting, she suggested that his apology was primarily about failing to present the investment plan to the Council before it became public.
“What he really apologised for was not bringing it to the Council. If you regret it that deeply, share it with us,” she said.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from UEFA, European football’s governing body, which has emerged as one of Infantino’s strongest opponents and has repeatedly called for him to resign.
UEFA has reportedly prepared criminal legal proceedings against the FIFA president and filed claims in three United States courts seeking access to documents connected to the abandoned FFE proposal.
Hewitt said releasing the documents to Council members would be a critical step towards establishing the facts and determining whether further legal action was warranted.
“Those papers coming to Council are a crucial next part of us feeling comfortable as to what, if any, criminal proceedings need to take place,” she said.
Asked whether the meeting had changed her opinion of Infantino, Hewitt said her position remained largely unchanged because the outstanding questions had not been resolved.
“From my position, nothing has shifted. I’ve no new information that makes me feel any differently, other than we do have a president who is apologetic,” she said.
The abandoned investment proposal continues to put pressure on Infantino’s leadership, with FIFA officials facing calls to provide greater transparency about how the initiative was developed, why it was withdrawn and the decisions surrounding its handling.
