FA chief demands Infantino release World Cup sell-off documents

Football Association chair and Fifa vice-president Debbie Hewitt has sent a letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino demanding the release of all documents relating to a controversial, now-abandoned plan to sell off a stake in the World Cup's commercial rights.

The letter, also addressed to Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, alleges governance failures and a breakdown in culture at football's governing body. Hewitt wants all relevant documents made available before the next Fifa Council meeting on 15 October, along with an independent review of how the plan was devised and how the private investment tender was run.

The scrapped proposal

The plan, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise, would have created a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights across all Fifa competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold to a private investment firm. It was dropped after widespread opposition from national federations. Last month Uefa began preparing legal action against Infantino in three US courts over the plan, also demanding document disclosure, prompting Fifa to accuse Uefa of running a smear campaign.

Balogun controversy

Hewitt's letter separately seeks explanation over United States forward Folarin Balogun, who was allowed to play against Belgium in the last 16 despite an expected one-match ban following a red card shown against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Fifa suspended the automatic ban for a year without detailed reasoning. US President Donald Trump later confirmed he had phoned Infantino to request a review of the ban.

Several federations, including England, Wales and Scotland, have withdrawn their support for Infantino's re-election bid in March, though he retains backing from the African, South American and Oceanian confederations. Infantino is expected to face the full Fifa Council next month to address the concerns.