Infantino apologises to Fifa Council - but told he's still not fit to lead
FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed the Fifa Council in Zurich on Thursday following backlash over his abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which would have transferred portions of FIFA’s commercial rights to a private investment firm. During a three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Infantino apologized for communication failures around the FFE plan but faced sharp criticism for refusing to provide full documentation or answer key questions about the initiative, as well as unrelated issues like US striker Folarin Balogun’s suspended red-card ban and the allocation of the FIFA Peace Prize.
Council members, including Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt—a Fifa vice-president—demanded transparency, calling for written responses to outstanding queries, including the rationale behind FFE and funding for national associations. Hewitt emphasized that Infantino’s leadership remains in question until these answers are delivered, stating his current approach does not meet the standards required for the presidency.
Infantino’s video statement reiterated his regret over the communication lapses but stopped short of addressing the core demands for accountability.
