FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed an outside review of how football’s governing body makes major decisions, acknowledging in a letter to members that its handling of a now-abandoned investment plan had caused concern.
“First, I will ask the Council whether it wishes to commission an independent external review of FIFA’s current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend potential improvements,” Infantino wrote to the FIFA Council and all 211 member association presidents in a letter seen by Reuters.
He also said he would propose consultations with confederations, member associations and other stakeholders on strengthening FIFA’s decision-making.
Infantino faced a fierce backlash over his proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private investors. The plan was abandoned in July after opposition and boycott threats, with Europe’s UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) subsequently calling for changes to FIFA’s leadership
It remains to be seen if these proposals on governance changes are sufficient to satisfy those national associations who want a new president, and whether they trust Infantino to adopt and follow them.
Infantino claimed the abandoned plan was motivated by a desire to raise more money for football development and that it was only a proposal but its leaking “created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not.”
There have been suggestions that countries against Infantino might be denied funds but he said member associations’ positions on proposals or governance matters would not affect their treatment by FIFA, whose development and solidarity programmes would continue under existing rules.
“No association’s treatment will depend on its position on any proposal or institutional matter,” he wrote.
“I remain fully committed to leading FIFA and confident in what we can achieve together.”
