Infantino open to Fifa reform talks as pressure mounts

Dubai: Fifa president Gianni Infantino has called for an independent review of the organisation’s operations and indicated that he would be willing to consider reforms.

In a letter to Fifa Council members and the organisation’s national associations, Infantino said the independent review would identify and recommend possible areas for improvement.

Ahead of next month’s Council meeting, he also proposed a consultation focused on ways to further strengthen Fifa’s decision-making process.

The consultation would also examine the role of the Fifa president, alongside potential measures to improve transparency, participation and accountability around major strategic projects.

Infantino has faced growing scrutiny following the collapse of his Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions. The plan prompted significant opposition.

In what appears to be a conciliatory gesture, Infantino writes: "Over recent weeks, I have taken time to listen before writing to you", and says the consultation will be with confederations, member associations and "relevant stakeholders".

He insists that the FFE plan "did not involve relinquishing Fifa's control or authority over sporting decisions. Obviously!"

Infantino’s letter comes after Uefa and Concacaf, the confederations representing Europe and North America, Central America and the Caribbean, called for Fifa to distribute $10m from its reserves to each of its 211 member associations.

Under the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, a new company would have been established to oversee the commercial and ticketing rights for all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, with a 21% stake earmarked for sale to a private investment firm.

Infantino said the collapse of FFE "does not diminish our ambition or our responsibility to invest more of Fifa’s success back into football.

"We will continue to explore sustainable ways to grow Fifa’s resources and expand development and solidarity support for every member association," he added in the letter.

"What changes is not the ambition, but the strength of the process through which major ideas are developed, tested and decided.

"The progress we have made over the past decade gives us a strong foundation for the future. It also gives us the confidence to examine whether our governance remains suited to the scale and complexity of the decisions ahead."

Earlier this month, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, who is also a Fifa vice-president, urged Infantino to publish all documents connected to the controversial proposal and called for an independent review of FFE.

Infantino is set to seek a fourth term in March 2027, with potential challengers having until 18 November to put forward an alternative candidate.

Last month, Uefa began preparing criminal legal proceedings against Infantino in US courts over the FFE proposal, while also calling for the release of all related documents.

Fifa responded by accusing Uefa of a "smear campaign against it and its leadership" as part of its challenge to the litigation.