FIFA has agreed to let members of its ruling Council inspect the key documents behind the scrapped $20 billion World Cup sell-off plan, bowing to UEFA pressure on the very day Europe's deadline for answers about Gianni Infantino's presidency expired.
The move was reported by Reuters on Monday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter. FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom wrote to Council members on Monday inviting them to register their interest in reviewing the documents under specific conditions at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
A plan that lasted days, a row that lasted months
The proposal at the heart of the row — the FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE — would have sold off World Cup commercial rights in a deal valued at $20 billion. FIFA scrapped it earlier this summer, only days after making it public, amid a backlash that, as Reuters put it, imperilled Infantino's leadership.
Last month UEFA wrote to FIFA demanding answers about Infantino's presidency, including questions over the FFE and the FIFA Peace Prize, and set a November 2 deadline for a response. Monday was that deadline, and the documents offer is FIFA's answer, at least in part.
BusinessDay reported that Council members, including the presidents of the six regional confederations, have two weeks to register their interest, and that the files will be available under strict confidentiality protocols. Grafstrom wrote: "The documents will be available at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, under strict review protocols to preserve confidentiality."
UEFA's demands go further
Access for Council members is not the full transparency UEFA asked for. According to BusinessDay, UEFA demanded access to all documents relating to the abandoned scheme, argued the proposed deal may have undervalued the tournaments, and raised the possibility of legal action in Switzerland against Infantino over alleged criminal mismanagement — allegations FIFA has not accepted.
Multiple federations have also demanded sweeping reforms of FIFA's governance and decision-making in the aftermath of the failed proposal, with Infantino having previously proposed an independent review of the organisation's procedures.
FIFA, for its part, has pushed back on the timetable rather than the principle. The person cited by Reuters said FIFA viewed UEFA's two-week deadline to respond to more than 100 questions as unfeasible, given its recent focus on organising a new youth World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, and preparations for an extraordinary congress on 23 November to determine the hosts of the 2031 and 2035 Women's World Cups. Ongoing legal action in the United States had also created legal boundaries, the person said, adding that FIFA had maintained it would respond to Council members in due course — and that the invitation to view the documents is only for Council members.
So what does it mean?
This is now an election story as much as a governance one. Infantino will stand for re-election in March 2027, and the deadline for potential challengers to submit their nominations is November 18 — barely two weeks away. His prospects strengthened significantly a little over a week ago when the head of Asian football endorsed him for a fourth term, the AFC backing that left Europe increasingly isolated in its opposition to the FIFA chief.
That is the tension Monday's letter exposes. UEFA can set deadlines, demand documents and raise the prospect of legal action, but the votes that decide Infantino's future sit largely outside Europe — and the access FIFA has granted is controlled, confidential and limited to the Council room in Zurich, not the public record.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Opening the files in Zurich is a concession, but a carefully fenced one — Council members may look, under strict protocols, while the questions UEFA actually asked still hang unanswered. If this is transparency, it is transparency on FIFA's terms, delivered on UEFA's deadline day. Does inspecting documents behind closed doors settle the sell-off row, or does Infantino still have to answer in public? Let us know in the comments.
