Zurich — Infantino Proposes External Review of FIFA Governance

FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed an independent external review of how the governing body makes major strategic decisions, in a letter sent Monday to the FIFA Council and all 211 member association presidents, according to a copy seen by Reuters. The letter follows the collapse in July of a plan to sell a 20 percent stake in FIFA's commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private investors — a proposal that triggered boycott threats and calls for leadership change from three of the sport's six continental confederations.

What Did Infantino Propose in the Letter?

Infantino wrote that he will "ask the Council whether it wishes to commission an independent external review of FIFA's current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend potential improvements," according to the letter cited by Reuters. He also said he would propose consultations with confederations, member associations and other stakeholders on strengthening FIFA's decision-making process. The review would examine which bodies hold authority over major initiatives, including the respective roles of the president, the bureau, the council and the congress, and how to improve transparency and accountability, per the letter.

Infantino said he has heard competing proposals on who should decide major strategic questions: some council members favor requiring unanimous agreement within the bureau, while others want such matters sent directly to the congress and the full membership of 211 associations. "My role is not to pre-judge that discussion. Those who support a particular model should have the opportunity to set out their case clearly," Infantino wrote, according to Reuters.

Why Was the Private Investment Plan Abandoned?

The withdrawn proposal would have explored selling a 20 percent minority stake in a FIFA-controlled commercial company, a move Infantino said was intended to raise additional money for football development without ceding control over sporting decisions. The plan became public, Infantino wrote, before it could be presented in full to the council and member associations — a sequencing failure he said created the false impression that a decision had already been made. "I recognise that, without the full context, this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not," Infantino wrote. "It remained a proposal, not a decision, and was always subject to the necessary approvals of the Council and the Member Associations. It has now been withdrawn and will not proceed."

Which Confederations Are Demanding Change?

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf publicly called for changes to FIFA's leadership after the investment plan surfaced, according to Reuters. Those three confederations represent Europe, Asia and North and Central America and the Caribbean — a bloc covering a large share of FIFA's 211-member voting base. The reporting does not specify the confederations' current position on Infantino's new consultation proposal, and Al Jazeera's account does not include direct statements from UEFA, the AFC or Concacaf responding to Monday's letter.

What Happens at the October 15 FIFA Council Meeting?

Member associations and council members can submit suggestions ahead of an October 15 FIFA Council meeting, where those ideas could be discussed, Infantino wrote. Submissions received after that date would also be considered, though Reuters reported that Infantino did not specify a final deadline for later proposals. Any resulting changes to FIFA's statutes would require approval by the full congress, meaning the October meeting marks the start of a formal process rather than a vote on governance changes itself.

Will FIFA's Development Funding Be Affected?

Infantino wrote that a member association's position on governance proposals, or on the abandoned investment plan, will not affect how FIFA treats that association going forward. "No association's treatment will depend on its position," he wrote, adding that FIFA's development and solidarity programs will continue under existing rules regardless of how individual federations engage with the reform discussion, according to the letter cited by Reuters.

The letter does not disclose a dollar figure for how much the now-scrapped 20 percent stake sale might have raised, nor does it name specific council members who back either the unanimous-bureau model or the direct-to-congress model for major decisions. Those details, along with any formal response from UEFA, the AFC or Concacaf, are expected to surface as the October 15 council meeting approaches.

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