Hewitt demands full FIFA disclosure as Infantino pressure intensifies
FA chair Debbie Hewitt has demanded that Gianni Infantino release documents relating to FIFA Forward Enterprise and the Folarin Balogun suspension controversy before the next FIFA Council meeting, escalating pressure on the FIFA president ahead of the 2027 election.
Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has called for the release of all documents connected to FIFA Forward Enterprise and the Folarin Balogun suspension case, while also demanding an independent review into how the abandoned investment proposal was developed.Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, has written to Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafström asking for the material to be circulated before the FIFA Council meets on October 15.Her intervention centres on governance concerns surrounding FFE, the proposal to create a company controlling commercial and ticketing rights across FIFA competitions and sell 21% to private investors.The plan was abandoned following opposition from national associations, but questions remain around how it was conceived, who was involved and how potential investors were selected.Hewitt wants an independent review covering those issues rather than relying solely on FIFA’s own examination of the project.FFE has become one of the most significant governance controversies facing FIFA after the governing body explored a structure that could have transferred a minority interest in some of its most valuable commercial assets to outside capital.Critics have also questioned the proposed valuation and whether the FIFA Council received sufficient oversight of the process before it advanced.Hewitt has separately requested documentation relating to the decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban handed to United States forward Balogun during the World Cup.The striker had been sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina but was subsequently cleared to play Belgium after FIFA suspended the sanction for a year. US president Donald Trump later said he had contacted Infantino about the case.Infantino has denied influencing the disciplinary decision.The episode has become part of a wider debate over FIFA decision-making, with several European associations seeking greater transparency around both disciplinary processes and the commercial governance of the organisation.Belgian FA president Pascale van Damme said: “Two months after the events, our questions remain unanswered.“Together with UEFA, the other confederations and the national associations, we remain committed to transparency in decision-making, strong governance and clear processes.”The FA has already withdrawn its previous support for Infantino’s re-election, while a number of other European associations have taken similar positions.Infantino is seeking another term at the FIFA presidential election on March 18, with potential challengers facing a November 18 nomination deadline.The October FIFA Council meeting will now become a key governance test, with Hewitt seeking both documentary disclosure and a more formal explanation of decisions that have increasingly strained relations between FIFA’s leadership and several European member associations.