Quick Reads
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologised to the FIFA Council in Zurich on Thursday over his failed investor plan.
- German FA chief Bernd Neuendorf said the answers were not satisfactory.
- England’s FA chair Debbie Hewitt said requested FIFA Forward Enterprise papers were not handed over.
- FIFA plans a $6.35bn development fund, with $25m for each of its 211 member federations.
- Candidacies for the FIFA presidential election close on November 18.
The Infantino apology landed in Zurich on Thursday, but it did little to calm a restless FIFA Council. Senior members say the FIFA president offered contrition over his failed plan to open the World Cup to private investors, yet gave them nothing solid in return.
Council members met behind closed doors at FIFA’s headquarters, with the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal high on the agenda. Bernd Neuendorf, head of the German Football Association, said members asked many tough questions but got “no satisfactory answers”.
Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English FA and a FIFA vice-president, confirmed the Infantino apology came at the start of the meeting. She said it was delivered with some contrition, and that members then spoke their minds freely. But the papers she and others had asked for on the FFE project were not provided, she said. Infantino promised again that the information would come. Hewitt added that, from her own position, nothing had shifted.
The plan, announced in late July, was never put to the Council beforehand. It was dropped after a rebellion led by UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF.
The pressure matters because Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, is seeking re-election next March. Several European associations have withdrawn support, citing the FFE row and his closeness to US president Donald Trump. No heavyweight challenger has emerged, and candidacies close on November 18.
FIFA was also expected to table a $6.35bn development fund for 2026 to 2030, paying $25m to each member federation. Infantino may hope that sweetener steadies his campaign. In Africa, CAF president Patrice Motsepe has already pledged unanimous backing for him.
For now, the Infantino apology has bought him a hearing, not forgiveness.
