Infantino Apologises to FIFA Council Over FFE Sell-Off — SkimNews
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- Gianni Infantino apologized in a 3.5-hour Zurich meeting for the 'Fifa Forward Enterprise' (FFE) proposal, which would have handed a portion of FIFA's commercial rights to a private investment firm before he scrapped it within days; FA chair Debbie Hewitt said the apology only addressed process, not substance.
- FA chair Debbie Hewitt — a FIFA vice-president — declared Infantino 'not fit to be FIFA president' if he does not answer written questions about the FFE papers, the Balogun case, and the Peace Prize, calling the meeting 'the most robust, most frank, most open Council meeting' she had experienced.
- UEFA has prepared criminal legal proceedings against Infantino and lodged claims in three US courts demanding all FFE documents be released, with Hewitt saying the papers are 'crucial' to deciding 'what, if any, criminal proceedings need to take place.'
- FIFA's legal committee will review a proposed disciplinary-code amendment in December that would prevent suspending automatic one-match bans for red cards — prompted by Folarin Balogun's ban being lifted after US President Donald Trump asked for the decision to be reviewed.
- FIFA's social committee will investigate the FIFA Peace Prize — awarded to President Trump — reporting in December on who decided to create and award it and whether it should be reformed.
- Arsene Wenger is the candidate senior European football figures want to challenge Infantino in his March re-election, but it is unclear if he will give up his role as FIFA's global head of football development; Ramon Vega has declared but is unlikely to secure the five required member-association nominations by the 18 November deadline.
Why it matters: With UEFA preparing criminal proceedings against Infantino, Hewitt declaring him conditionally unfit to lead, and no serious challenger emerging before the 18 November candidate deadline, Infantino's March 2026 re-election now hinges on whether he releases the FFE files he has repeatedly withheld — the same documents UEFA is pursuing in three US courts.
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