Fifa to share World Cup sell-off documents with council members

Fifa shared that it will grant its council members access to documents regarding the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, which faced abandonment. Mattias Grafström, the secretary general of Fifa, informed the council members in a letter that the materials will be available for them to view in person at Fifa's headquarters in Zurich. The precise nature of the documents and their scope remained unclear, and viewings will be conducted under strict confidentiality protocols.

Members were given a deadline of 16 November to apply for the visits, raising concerns as this date falls just two days before candidates must declare their candidacy for the upcoming Fifa election next year. Uefa had posed over 50 questions regarding governance and recent scandals but did not receive direct responses from Fifa. On 19 October, Uefa sent a letter to Grafström, requesting answers to a series of inquiries about the Fifa Forward Enterprise, the Folarin Balogun affair, the Fifa peace prize, and other controversial decisions made throughout the past year. Uefa insisted that all documents related to FFE should be made accessible and that any refusal should be justified with clear explanations for the grounds cited.

Uefa's deadline for a response expired on Monday night; nevertheless, Fifa Council members were informed that a response is in progress. Fifa contended that the volume of Uefa's inquiries—solicited after Gianni Infantino urged delegates at the previous Fifa Council meeting to submit questions in writing before their upcoming gathering in December—was too extensive for a two-week turnaround.

It remains uncertain whether Fifa Council members will obtain the answers they seek during the document inspection. In August, Uefa submitted an application to four courts in the United States to release documents concerning FFE, potentially pursuing a criminal complaint in Switzerland related to financial mismanagement allegations. Preliminary rulings on this matter are still pending, which may affect the availability of information for inspection. Fifa criticized Uefa, accusing them of "harassment" and "misinformation," while denying any wrongdoing by Infantino. Additionally, it was reported that Uefa and its allies are nearing the identification of a candidate to oppose Infantino in the March elections, with developments expected early this month.