By Ayomide Otitoju
FIFA President Gianni Infantino faced criticism from senior members of the organisation’s Council on Thursday over his abandoned plan to open the World Cup and other major competitions to private investors, although he apologised for the controversy.
Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German Football Association (DFB) and a FIFA Council member, said Infantino failed to provide satisfactory answers during a closed-door meeting at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich.
“We asked a great many critical questions, but there were no satisfactory answers from my point of view,” Neuendorf told reporters.
The meeting focused partly on FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposal Infantino announced in late July to attract private investment into the governing body’s premium competitions.
The plan was subsequently abandoned following opposition from several football confederations, including the European governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which oversees football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English Football Association and a FIFA vice-president, said Infantino apologised at the beginning of the meeting.
“He apologised at the beginning for what had happened, and he said that with some contrition, and then there were no holds barred in terms of what we felt about what happened,” Hewitt said.
She added that Council members had not received answers to specific questions or documents they had requested concerning FFE.
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking re-election in March. The controversy has prompted several European national associations to withdraw their support for his candidacy, amid wider concerns over his leadership and relationship with United States President Donald Trump.
Among the issues cited by critics were Infantino’s decision to establish a FIFA Peace Prize and present it to Trump at the December 2025 World Cup draw, as well as his reported intervention in the suspension of a ban involving United States striker Folarin Balogun following a red card.
Hewitt said the meeting had not changed her position on Infantino’s leadership, adding that she was still waiting for the requested information.
“I have no new information that makes me feel any differently to how I felt when I went in,” she said, while acknowledging the president’s apology and his renewed promise to provide the documents.
The Council was also expected to consider a proposed $6.35 billion development fund for the next four years, which would support FIFA’s 211 member associations and regional confederations.
The proposed funding plan would draw partly on FIFA’s financial reserves following the commercial success of the 2026 World Cup and could provide $25 million to each member association.
The proposal is expected to form part of FIFA’s wider financial and development agenda ahead of the presidential election. The deadline for submitting candidacies is November 18.
