FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed an outside review of how the governing body makes major decisions on Monday, 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 . Read moreUEFA, CONCACAF demand FIFA make $2.1 billion payout to member groups amid funding row He also said he would propose consultations with confederations, member associations and other stakeholders on strengthening FIFA's decision-making.
The proposals would examine who has a say in major initiatives, including the respective roles of the president, Bureau, Council and Congress, and how to improve transparency and accountability. Infantino faced a fierce backlash over his proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in FIFA's commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private investors. The plan was abandoned in July afteropposition and boycott threats, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF subsequently calling for changes to FIFA's leadership.
Infantino said the abandoned plan had explored whether selling a minority stake in a FIFA-controlled commercial company could raise more money for football development. It would not have involved giving up control over sporting decisions, he said. But the proposal became public before it could be presented in full to the Council and member associations, according to Infantino.
"I recognise that, without the full context, this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not." "It remained a proposal, not a decision, and was always subject to the necessary approvals of the Council and the Member Associations. It has now been withdrawn and will not proceed." Infantino's FIFA re-election bid faces setback as France withdraws support To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.
One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Infantino said he had heard differing ideas about who should decide major strategic questions.
Some favoured requiring unanimous agreement in the Bureau, while others wanted such matters put directly to Congress and the member associations. "My role is not to pre-judge that discussion. Those who support a particular model should have the opportunity to set out their case clearly," he wrote.
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