Uefa gives Infantino until November 2 to hand over documents and answer 42 questions
Uefa has given Fifa president Gianni Infantino until 2 November to produce documents and answer questions about Fifa's governance and decision‑making, the demand set out in a letter seen by BBC Sport and published on 19 October 2026. The letter, from Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis, follows discussions at the Fifa Council earlier this week.
At the Fifa Council on Thursday, Infantino apologised for his World Cup sell‑off plan but did not provide a full explanation of how the proposal was developed. Theodoridis wrote that world football's governing body had failed to address "a number of fundamental questions" and that "others remain unanswered, and the information and documentation requested have not been provided." The letter comprises eight pages and contains 42 questions covering topics including the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), the Fifa Peace Prize and the suspended ban given to USA striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
Uefa told Fifa the questions could not be deferred until the next Fifa Council and that future governance reforms could not substitute for scrutiny of past decisions, writing: "These questions require answers now. They cannot be deferred until the next meeting of the Fifa Council - nor can future governance reforms substitute for scrutiny of decisions already taken and accountability for them." Uefa also said: "Any refusal to disclose information or documents should be justified individually, with a clear explanation of the specific grounds relied upon." The questions were first raised at the Council and were submitted in writing at Infantino's request.
The FFE programme is the subject of extensive querying by Uefa, which asked: "When was the idea of FFE first explored, by whom and with what objective?" and "Who within Fifa authorised the development of the project, and which members of the Fifa administration were involved?" Uefa also asked: "What concrete measures will Fifa put in place to ensure that the shortcomings identified in the FFE process cannot occur again in the future?" Uefa warned that the withdrawal of FFE and announcements of "potential governance reforms" did not explain how relevant decisions were taken or why the Fifa Council was not involved.
The letter probes reported links between Fifa and private investors, asking why an exclusivity agreement with Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital was signed without prior consultation of the Fifa Council and asking: "Why was Thrive Capital selected as lead investor, without any competitive tendering process and under conditions of strict confidentiality, despite its links to the family of the recipient of the Fifa Peace Prize?" The article states: "Kushner is the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law, while the US president was awarded the Peace Prize." Uefa also requested answers about who decided to create the Peace Prize, its purpose, and who decided that Trump should receive it.
Uefa set out questions on payments offered to member associations after the FFE proposal was revealed, noting Infantino had told the 211 member associations they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed it and had set a 19 September deadline for federations to accept his plans to access an initial $20m (£15m). After FFE was abandoned, Uefa and Concacaf called on Fifa to pay at least $10m (£7.5m) from its cash reserves to each MA; the article reports that Infantino then proposed to increase the amount of money handed out for football development by $3.4bn (£2.6bn), and that releasing cash from reserves would double planned distribution funding from 2027 to 2030 to $25m (£19m) per member association. Uefa asked: "Why was substantially increased funding for MAs presented in connection with FFE and external investment, rather than being financed directly from Fifa's own resources?"
The letter demanded information on the Balogun disciplinary case, noting that the striker's ban was lifted after US President Donald Trump asked Infantino for the decision to be reviewed. Uefa asked: "President Trump publicly acknowledged having called the Fifa president to request a review of the Balogun disciplinary case. What exactly did he ask him to do, and what was his response?" and "Would the case have been reviewed in the absence of his intervention?" It also sought "all correspondence and other communications concerning the case between the chair of the disciplinary committee and the Fifa administration, including the Fifa president and Fifa's chief legal officer," and asked for "the full written reasons for the decision in the Balogun case" and an explanation of why a single member determined the matter.
Uefa queried a series of other matters including reported ineligible player issues involving DR Congo, reports that Infantino had received an additional salary from FWC2026 US Inc., alleged discussions about a Fifa cryptocurrency involving the US president and associates, a $75m (£56.3m) investment in Palestine via Trump's Board of Peace, the extended 27‑minute half‑time interval in the World Cup final and mandatory hydration breaks, and a seven‑year, $4m (£3m) lease of Trump Tower office premises involving Eric Trump. Uefa asked Fifa to "clarify the nature, amount and basis of these payments, why they were not disclosed and whether they were reviewed and approved by the competent Fifa bodies," and added: "These matters, taken together, raise questions that extend beyond the ordinary institutional relationship between Fifa and the government of a World Cup host country. Could Fifa provide a detailed explanation of these arrangements and interventions, including the decision-making processes followed, the identification and management of any potential conflicts of interest, the financial implications for Fifa and the extent to which the competent Fifa bodies were informed or consulted?" The letter also queried the impartiality of the chair of the Fifa electoral committee, noting he "attended the entire 2026 World Cup as an accredited individual, with his expenses covered by Fifa for more than five weeks," and requested a full list of VIP and VVIP guests.
Uefa did not set out sanctions should Fifa fail to comply with the 2 November deadline, but the letter arrives ahead of the November 18 cut‑off date for any candidates to confirm they are standing against Infantino in next year's presidential election. Fifa has been approached for comment.
