Infantino Apologises to FIFA Council but Told He Is Not Fit to Lead Without Answers

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised to the FIFA Council over his World Cup sell-off plan, but was told he is not fit to remain in office unless he releases all the relevant documents and answers key questions.

The Council met in Zurich on Thursday for the first time since the secret FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal came to light. Under FFE, which Infantino scrapped within days, part of FIFA's commercial rights would have gone to a private investment firm. The meeting lasted three and a half hours. Infantino was also questioned about US striker Folarin Balogun's suspended red-card ban, the FIFA Peace Prize and funding for national associations.

Speaking afterwards, Football Association chair and FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt called it the "most robust, most frank, most open Council meeting" she had experienced, but said many questions were still unanswered. She said that none of the specific requests had been met, including the FFE papers. When she asked why, she was told to submit her questions in writing. Hewitt said Infantino must answer them and that if he does not, "he's not fit to be Fifa president", a view she said was shared in the meeting.

She said she has repeatedly asked for the papers and still does not have them. Those documents, covering the rationale for FFE, the Balogun case and the Peace Prize, will in her personal view decide whether Infantino is the right candidate. Until the Council sees what actually happened, she said, it is hard to judge whether anyone involved can be trusted or whether behaviour needs to change.

Hewitt acknowledged "some contrition" in the apology, but said the Council made clear how it felt. In her view, what Infantino really apologised for was not bringing the plan to the Council. She said that if he regrets it that deeply, he should share the details with them.

UEFA has been one of Infantino's fiercest critics and has repeatedly urged him to stand down. It has prepared criminal legal proceedings against him and has lodged claims in three US courts seeking the release of all FFE-related documents. Hewitt said she hopes Infantino now hands the papers over voluntarily, calling them a crucial next step in deciding whether any criminal proceedings are needed.

Asked whether UEFA's position had changed, Hewitt said nothing had shifted from her side. She had no new information that altered her view, she said, beyond the fact that the FIFA president is now apologetic.