FIFA offers restricted access to World Cup investment documents
FIFA will allow Council members to inspect confidential documents on its abandoned private investment scheme in Zurich, but has yet to answer UEFA’s wider governance questions as separate reporting raises concerns over presidential benefits and oversight.
FIFA will give its Council members access to documents concerning the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, while a broader response to UEFA’s questions about the organisation’s governance remains outstanding.Secretary general Mattias Grafström has invited members to inspect material in person at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters under confidentiality conditions, rather than circulating the documents for review.UEFA had requested access to all FFE documents and stipulated that any refusal should be “justified individually, with a clear explanation of the specific grounds relied upon”.Council members have until November 16 to express interest in attending, two days before the deadline for candidates to enter March’s FIFA presidential election.The scope of the documents available for inspection remains unclear, including whether they will satisfy European Council members seeking a detailed account of how the scheme was developed and approved.FFE would have placed the commercial interests of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions into a company with private investors holding a minority stake.The proposal was abandoned in August following opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, with Gianni Infantino subsequently apologising for shortcomings in communication and consultation.UEFA’s October 19 letter sought answers on the proposed company’s US$20bn valuation, the decision to grant investor exclusivity to Thrive Capital and the rationale for seeking private funding given FIFA’s substantial cash reserves.It also asked whether Infantino stood to benefit personally from the proposal. Thrive was founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.The document inspection does not address the full range of issues in UEFA’s letter, which also covered the Folarin Balogun disciplinary case, FIFA’s peace prize and its relationship with the US president.UEFA’s November 2 deadline passed without a substantive response to those questions, although Council members have been told that a wider reply is being prepared.FIFA considers the two-week turnaround insufficient for the volume of questions submitted, while ongoing US legal proceedings concerning disclosure of FFE documents have also complicated the process.UEFA applied to four US courts for material linked to the scheme as it considered a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland alleging financial mismanagement. FIFA has denied wrongdoing by Infantino and accused UEFA of harassment and misinformation.The next Council meeting is scheduled for December 16, after the presidential nomination deadline. UEFA has pledged to identify a credible challenger to Infantino.Separate reporting has meanwhile placed FIFA’s remuneration and benefits arrangements under scrutiny, including its decision to cover Infantino’s US tax bill during his relocation to Miami.According to The New York Times, documents show that FIFA’s compensation committee approved an arrangement in May 2024 to cover Infantino’s US tax bill, with payments expected to total approximately US$4m over his three-year American assignment.The report said the benefit was not separately disclosed in public filings, raising questions about transparency rather than establishing that the arrangement breached the law.FIFA said: “All FIFA’s internal regulations and processes, and all applicable laws, have been followed. FIFA ensures all reporting and taxation requirements are met.”The organisation also said payments to senior management were independently audited.The tax arrangement was supported by Bruno Chiomento, who chairs FIFA’s compensation committee and holds a senior governance oversight role.According to the report, advice on matters affecting Infantino included input from his personal lawyer, David Zollinger, despite internal concerns about a potential conflict of interest.Further questions concern security services provided to Infantino’s wife during the World Cup and revisions to senior executives’ benefits, including accommodation, gifts, hospitality and private aircraft use.FIFA defended its procedures, stating: “The governance framework and internal processes put in place by FIFA are robustly applied to the hiring, remuneration and involvement of external service providers, as well as to its guest management operations.”These allegations are distinct from the previously corrected claim that Infantino received an undisclosed second salary, which The Times withdrew with an apology.Together, the developments leave Council members seeking clarity on both the abandoned commercial proposal and the effectiveness of the governance safeguards surrounding FIFA’s leadership, with restricted document access now offered but the wider questions still awaiting answers.