Infantino apologises over FIFA investment plan as calls for resignation grow

By SABC Sport
16th October 2026

Gianni Infantino has apologised for mistakes surrounding his abandoned World Cup investment plan, but his failure to answer questions from European football officials has intensified calls for him to resign as FIFA president.

At Thursday's FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt warned that Infantino's future depended on providing greater transparency.

"The man has to answer those questions and if he doesn't answer those questions, no, he is not fit to be FIFA president," said Hewitt, a FIFA vice-president.

Infantino apologised for shortcomings in communicating and consulting on FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), but insisted the proposal was never finalised. The plan would have placed FIFA's commercial rights under a new subsidiary involving private investors led by Joshua Kushner.

UEFA opposed the proposal, questioning its valuation and the potential sale of a stake in future tournament revenues. The European governing body has pursued legal action in the United States to obtain related documents, alleging possible financial mismanagement. FIFA's lawyers have dismissed the effort as a smear campaign.

German football chief Bernd Neuendorf said the council had received no satisfactory answers, while Infantino promised to respond to outstanding questions in writing.

The dispute comes ahead of FIFA's presidential election on 18 March in Rabat, Morocco, with candidates needing to be proposed by 18 November.

The council also agreed to review FIFA's disciplinary procedures following the suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun's one-match World Cup ban. The decision attracted scrutiny after US President Donald Trump reportedly contacted Infantino.

Meanwhile, FIFA will assess the future of its Peace Prize, which Infantino presented to Trump in December 2025. Discontinuing the award is under consideration.

Despite the criticism, Infantino retains support from some council members, including Mauritania football federation president Ahmed Yahya, who backed his continued leadership.

FIFA is also considering increasing funding to its 211 member associations to 6.35 billion dollars for the 2027-2030 period, potentially providing around 25 million dollars to each. The proposal, alongside updates on the disciplinary review and Peace Prize, is expected to be discussed at the next council meeting on 16 December in Doha, Qatar.