FIFA offers council restricted access to abandoned World Cup investment plan

FIFA has offered its council members access to documents concerning the abandoned proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, but the material will only be available for inspection at its Zurich headquarters. According to BBC Sport, the offer came in a letter from secretary general Mattias Grafstrom shortly before UEFA's 2 November deadline for answers about the plan and FIFA's decision-making.

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The letter, seen by BBC Sport, asks council members to register within the next two weeks to review the paperwork. Access will be controlled to maintain confidentiality, and it remains unclear which documents FIFA intends to provide. The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, had already been withdrawn. President Gianni Infantino apologised at a council meeting but did not give a full explanation of how it had been developed, instead requesting written questions.

UEFA subsequently submitted eight pages containing more than 100 questions. Its concerns extended beyond the investment proposal to funding for national associations, the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize awarded to US President Donald Trump and the suspended World Cup ban imposed on USA striker Folarin Balogun. UEFA argued that withdrawing the proposal and acknowledging mistakes did not explain the decisions already taken or why the council had not been involved earlier.

Grafstrom said the number of questions exceeded what FIFA's administration could reasonably have expected and that a response would be shared with all council members when ready. BBC Sport reported that FIFA considered the two-week timetable impractical alongside work on a new youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparations for an extraordinary congress later in November. Those explanations have not yet been accompanied by the full answers UEFA requested.

The dispute also includes legal proceedings. According to BBC Sport, UEFA sought disclosure of evidence and documents through action launched in the United States in October and warned that it could file a criminal complaint in Switzerland. Sources told the broadcaster that those proceedings limited FIFA's ability to answer some of the questions.

Grafstrom also maintained that the investment proposal required approval from both the council and a majority of member associations before it could proceed, and that withdrawal carried no penalty for FIFA. UEFA had not specified what action it would take if its deadline was missed. BBC Sport said it had approached the European governing body for comment.