Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Gianni Infantino Opens Dialogue With FIFA Council To Reform Governance And Withdraw FIFA Forward Enterprise
Infantino proposes independent external review of FIFA governance and decision-making. He will consult the 211 member associations and launch dialogue on reforms.
Whether Infantino commits or asks the Council.
5 of 7 outlets skipped it: UNlike the external review, Infantino also proposes a structured time-limited consultation.
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Sky News
“he will ask the council if it wants to launch an "independent external review"”Read the original ↗
The Guardian says Infantino agreed to commission a review, while Sky News says he will ask the Council, making the deal sound conditional.
Infantino seeks governance review
Gianni Infantino told FIFA Council members and the presidents of all 211 member associations that he is open to dialogue aimed at reforming FIFA governance and updating the model of world football’s organization. Infantino said he would ask the Council whether it wishes to commission an external and independent review of FIFA’s current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend possible improvements. Infantino also proposed that the Council establish a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, member federations and other stakeholders to strengthen FIFA’s decision-making, transparency, participation and accountability.
Infantino said the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was withdrawn and will not go ahead, after he acknowledged it was made public before the appropriate institutional process was completed. Infantino closed his letter with a call to maintain FIFA’s independence and assured that all member federations have the right to be heard, regardless of their position on any institutional proposal.
Two reform paths ahead
Infantino proposed that the FIFA Council consider commissioning an external and independent review of FIFA’s current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend possible improvements. Infantino proposed a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, Member Associations and relevant stakeholders on how FIFA’s decision-making can be further strengthened. Infantino said the consultation would invite specific proposals on earlier institutional involvement, the respective roles of the President, the Bureau, the Council and the Congress, and practical ways to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability in major strategic initiatives.
Infantino said he recognized that the FFE proposal became public before FIFA’s planned institutional process had been completed, and he said this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. Infantino insisted that “It remained a proposal, not a decision, and was always subject to the necessary approvals from the Council and the member associations.”
Pressure, elections, and stakes
Infantino faced fierce backlash over his proposal to sell a 20 percent stake of FIFA’s commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private-sector investors, and the plan was abandoned in July after opposition and threats of a boycott. UEFA and CONCACAF demanded FIFA pay $10m to all 211 members from its cash reserves, and the Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa sent a similar letter with the issue of funding also to be on the agenda at the next FIFA Council meeting. Infantino’s letter said “FIFA’s democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale,” and he added “They are not for sale and never will be.”
The FIFA Council meeting on October 15, 2026 was set as the formal point to discuss proposals received before that date, and any statutory modifications would subsequently be submitted to the Congress for examination and approval. Infantino said he would stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.