FIFA council members seek scrutiny of World Cup controversies in governance review

FIFA council members want a proposed external governance review to examine both an abandoned World Cup commercial scheme and the decision to lift Folarin Balogun's tournament suspension, the Guardian reported. Their demands put the scope of the exercise at the centre of a dispute with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has proposed a review of how the organisation handles major strategic projects.

Infantino outlined his proposal in a letter sent on Monday to FIFA's 211 member associations. He said he would ask the council to commission the review when it meets in Zurich on October 15. According to the Guardian, some council members want that process to address previous decisions rather than focus only on governance arrangements for future initiatives. The terms have not yet been settled.

Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt wrote to Infantino last week seeking all documents concerning FIFA Forward Enterprise, the scheme abandoned in August. She also requested information about the background to the Balogun decision. The newspaper reported that many fellow council members support her request, with one arguing that a review excluding those two episodes would lack credibility.

The Guardian reported that Balogun's suspension for the United States' World Cup last-32 match against Belgium was lifted following a telephone call from Donald Trump to Infantino. A group of council members subsequently tried to convene an extraordinary general meeting, but failed to secure the 19 votes needed. That unsuccessful effort forms part of the backdrop to the current disagreement over the proposed review.

Opposition to Infantino does not translate into a settled council majority. The Guardian said the European, Asian and North and Central American and Caribbean confederations campaigning against him hold 21 of the 38 seats between them. However, that number includes representatives from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, who have publicly supported the president. German federation president Bernd Neuendorf has criticised the review offer as an attempt to advance Infantino's re-election next year.

Infantino offered a different assessment on Wednesday while attending the Arabian Gulf Cup opening in Jeddah. He said he had received supportive responses from different regions and wanted continued discussion with member associations. He also rejected the suggestion that his initiative was about favourable publicity. The October meeting is where he intends to seek the council's agreement to commission the review.