Fifa president Gianni Infantino has proposed an independent external review of how world football’s governing body operates, saying he is open to reforms that could strengthen transparency and accountability.
In a letter to members of the Fifa Council and all 211 member associations, Infantino said the independent process would recommend potential improvements to the organisation’s operations.
Ahead of next month’s Council meeting, he also proposed a consultation on how Fifa’s decision-making can be strengthened.
The consultation would examine the role of the Fifa president and consider practical measures to improve transparency, participation and accountability in major strategic initiatives.
Infantino’s proposal comes after growing scrutiny of his abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which involved creating a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights for Fifa competitions, including the World Cup.
FIFA then issued an apology while reaffirming its “full support” for Infantino. In a statement, the leadership acknowledged “that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media”. (Photo by Abdelmajid BZIOUAT / AFP via Getty Images)
Under the proposal, 21% of the new company would have been sold to a private investment company.
Infantino said he had spent recent weeks listening to concerns surrounding the proposal before writing to Fifa’s stakeholders.
“The proposal entered the public domain before Fifa’s planned institutional process had been completed and before it could be presented in full to the Council and the member associations. I recognise that, without the full context, this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not.”
He insisted that the FFE proposal would not have affected Fifa’s control over sporting matters.
“It did not involve relinquishing Fifa’s control or authority over sporting decisions. Obviously!”
Infantino also sought to reassure Fifa’s members that the organisation’s democratic and sporting principles would remain protected.
“Democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale. They are not for sale and never will be.”
The Fifa president said the proposed consultation would involve confederations, member associations and other relevant stakeholders.
He added that he remained “fully committed to leading Fifa and confident in what we can achieve together”.
The latest move follows calls from Uefa and Concacaf for Fifa to distribute $10m to each of its 211 member associations from its cash reserves, adding further pressure for discussions around the organisation’s finances and governance.
