▲ FIFA President Gianni Infantino
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to disclose key documents regarding the push and subsequent withdrawal of the World Cup sale plan and governance issues, and to respond to related inquiries within two weeks.
British broadcaster BBC and global sports media outlet ESPN reported on the 19th (local time) that UEFA sent an eight-page letter containing 42 questions to FIFA, demanding a response by November 2.
The letter, sent by UEFA General Secretary Theodoros Theodoridis to FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström, includes questions regarding Infantino's previously pursued and later aborted plan to sell a stake in the World Cup, the process by which a red card given to U.S. national team forward Folarin Balogun was overturned during the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, and the decision to establish the FIFA Peace Prize and award it to U.S. President Donald Trump.
In July, Infantino announced a plan to create "FIFA Forward Enterprises" (FFE), a company dedicated to the commercial rights of FIFA tournaments including the World Cup, and sell a portion of its stake to private investors. According to foreign media, FFE was valued at 4.2 billion dollars (approx. 5.6 trillion won), and investors led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, were set to acquire a stake of more than 20 percent.
However, facing fierce backlash centered around the European football community, Infantino withdrew the plan.
Infantino apologized for the World Cup hosting rights sale plan at the FIFA Council held in Zurich, Switzerland, on the 15th, but reportedly failed to sufficiently explain how the plan was formulated.
In response, representatives of UEFA member nations expressed disappointment, ultimately leading them to pressure FIFA by demanding the disclosure of data and answers.
UEFA pointed out in the letter that "the withdrawal of the FFE plan, the acknowledgment of mistakes, and the announcement of 'potential governance reforms' do not provide answers as to how the relevant decisions were made or why the FIFA Council was not involved in the decision-making process at the appropriate stage."
UEFA did not specify what actions it would take if FIFA fails to meet the deadline.
However, the BBC reported that UEFA hopes this will serve as pressure on Infantino ahead of the deadline (November 18) to finalize a candidate to challenge him in next year's FIFA presidential election.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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