Uefa sets Fifa deadline for answers on Gianni Infantino controversies

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Uefa has set Fifa a two-week deadline to answer questions and hand over documents covering a series of controversies from Gianni Infantino’s time as president.

Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis has written to his Fifa counterpart Mattias Grafstrom setting out a series of questions on behalf of European members of the Fifa Council.

All answers and relevant documents must be supplied by 2 November, the letter demands.

It follows a meeting in Zurich last week at which European Council members quizzed Infantino, with Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt confirming afterwards that Council members were asked to submit questions in writing.

The letter, seen by the Press Association, calls for more information on the process followed in developing the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.

That plan proposed selling a 20 per cent stake in a company to run the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.

Infantino withdrew the proposal on 1 August after it was rejected by three continental confederations, including Uefa.

Theodoridis’ letter pointed out that the withdrawal, Infantino’s acknowledgement of mistakes and pledges for potential governance reform “do not answer how the relevant decisions were taken or why the Fifa Council was not involved at the appropriate stage”.

The letter seeks answers on why exclusivity as lead investor was granted to Joshua Kushner, the brother of the son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump.

It also asks how those family links to the winner of the Fifa Peace Prize, and the potential conflict of interest, were assessed and addressed.

Further questions are raised around the valuation placed on FFE and the rationale for seeking private investment in the first place.

The letter also seeks further clarity on the Folarin Balogun case. It called for all documents related to the case to be supplied, including any correspondence between the FIFA disciplinary committee which suspended his one-match ban and the Fifa administration.

Questions are asked, too, about a wide range of other topics, including the duration of the World Cup final half-time show, the introduction of hydration breaks at the finals and the origins of the Fifa Peace Prize.

Uefa also sought information on a recent Times report concerning a payment made to Infantino by Fifa’s 2026 World Cup organising company in 2024.

It asked why the payment was not disclosed in Fifa’s annual report. Concerns are also raised around the independence of the FIFA presidential election process.

Uefa said the chair of the electoral committee, Bruno Chiomento, has known Infantino for 20 years. It said he had been at the World Cup for its full five-week duration with all his expenses covered by Fifa.

“In view of the importance of ensuring the independence and perceived impartiality of the electoral process, would Fifa consider Mr Chiomento’s recusal and replacement by his deputy for the duration of the presidential election?” the Uefa letter asked.

The letter is the latest escalation in a dispute that saw Uefa announce in August that it had lost confidence in Infantino over the FFE plan.

Uefa has said it will identify a credible alternative candidate to stand against him in next year’s Fifa presidential elections.

The deadline for candidates to be submitted is 18 November.

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