UEFA has threatened FIFA with legal action until 2 November to release key documents and provide answers to questions regarding the governance and decision-making of the world soccer body, putting president Gianni Infantino under pressure to clarify some controversial decisions.
FIFA had not raised “a number of fundamental questions” in a letter to BBC Sport, read by UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis. The correspondence comprised eight pages with 42 questions including those about private investment in the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the FIFA Peace Prize and the World Cup ban on United States striker Folarin Balogun.
The demand came after a meeting of FIFA Council, during which Infantino apologised for his World Cup sell-off plan but didn’t explicitly explain how the idea was conceived. FIFA then abandoned the FFE plan, admitted that it had made errors and announced possible changes in its governance structure. These measures, however, did not elaborate on how the decisions were reached, or why the FIFA Council had not played a role at the right time, UEFA said.
Theodoridis explained that any refusal to show documents sought should be on a case-by-case basis, and provide reasons. He also demanded that FIFA not wait for the next Council meeting to take action nor rely on future changes as a means of avoiding accountability for the decisions made.
The issues were first raised during the last FIFA Council meeting with Infantino. He requested that they be presented in writing, and UEFA followed suit with its official letter.
UEFA has not disclosed what action it might take if FIFA doesn’t act by the deadline. Hewlett, chair of the Football Association and vice-president of FIFA, however, questioned the lack of answers, saying Infantino couldn’t be expected to stay as FIFA president if he didn’t provide responses to the questions.
