Infantino proposes external review as pressure mounts over FIFA governance

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proposed an independent external review of the organization’s operations and said he is open to reforms to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability. 

In a letter to members of the FIFA Council and the organization’s 211 national associations, Infantino said the review would recommend potential improvements to the governing body.

Infantino also proposed a consultation on how FIFA’s decision-making could be strengthened, including discussions about the role of the president and the way major strategic initiatives are developed and approved. 

The proposals come ahead of a FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15, the first since a growing dispute over Infantino’s controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise plan.

The FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal involved creating a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, with a 21 percent stake potentially sold to a private investment company. 

The plan triggered opposition from several football stakeholders before it was abandoned. Infantino said the proposal did not involve surrendering FIFA’s control over sporting decisions and acknowledged that its emergence before the full institutional process had been completed had caused concern.

Infantino said he remained committed to leading FIFA and argued that the collapse of the proposal should not reduce the organization’s ambition to generate more resources for football development. 

His comments came after UEFA and Concacaf called for FIFA to distribute $10 million from its cash reserves to each of its 211 member associations. 

Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, also a FIFA vice-president, earlier called for the release of documents related to the abandoned plan and an independent review.

The dispute has also resulted in legal tensions between FIFA and UEFA. UEFA began preparing criminal legal proceedings against Infantino in the United States over the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan and demanded the release of related documents. 

FIFA responded by accusing UEFA of a “smear campaign” against the organization and its leadership.

Infantino is due to stand for election for a fourth term as FIFA president in March 2027, and potential opponents must identify an alternative candidate by November 18. 

His latest proposals include examining whether FIFA’s governance structure remains appropriate for the organization’s growing scale and complexity, while critics have called for changes including limits on presidential powers and greater separation between the president and FIFA’s administration.