FIFA President Gianni Infantino has apologised to the organisation’s Council over a scrapped investment proposal that would have handed part of the world football governing body’s commercial rights to a private investment firm.
The proposal, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise, was abandoned within days of emerging, but has continued to generate questions about transparency and decision-making within FIFA.
As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, the FIFA Council met in Zurich for the first time since the proposal became public, with Infantino facing questions over the plan, the suspended red-card ban involving United States striker Folarin Balogun, the FIFA Peace Prize and funding for national football associations.
Following a three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Football Association chair and FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt said several important questions remained unanswered.
“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 added that she had repeatedly asked for the documents to be shared 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 said Infantino must provide answers to the outstanding questions, warning that his leadership would remain under scrutiny until the relevant documents were released.
“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.
According to Hewitt, the Council needed access to the FFE documents to understand the rationale behind the proposal and determine whether those 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.
She added that it would be difficult to judge the conduct of individuals involved in the proposal without knowing exactly what had happened.
Hewitt acknowledged that Infantino had shown some remorse during the meeting but said his apology appeared to focus largely on failing to bring the proposal before the Council.
“What he really apologised for was not bringing it to the Council. If you regret it that deeply, share it with us,” she said.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, has been among Infantino’s strongest critics and has repeatedly called for him to step down.
The organisation has also prepared criminal legal proceedings against the FIFA president and filed claims in three United States courts seeking the release of documents relating to the FFE proposal.
Hewitt said making the documents available to the Council would be an important step towards determining what happened and whether further action was necessary.
“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 her position on Infantino had changed following the meeting, Hewitt said there had been no significant shift.
“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 controversy continues to place pressure on Infantino, with calls for greater transparency over the abandoned investment proposal and the decisions surrounding it.