Infantino apologises to Fifa Council but remains under pressure

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 16:58 · Archive

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan but has been told he is not fit to lead without answering further questions.

Gianni Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), which he scrapped within days of it emerging. The plan would have given a portion of the commercial rights of football's world governing body to a private investment firm.

The Fifa Council met in Zurich on Thursday for the first time since details of FFE emerged in July. FA chair Debbie Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, said afterwards that many questions remained unanswered despite the three-and-a-half-hour meeting being 'the most robust, most frank, most open Council meeting' she had experienced.

Hewitt said Infantino has not answered questions relating to the FFE plan, Folarin Balogun's suspended red-card ban, the Fifa Peace Prize and funding for national associations. She stated that Infantino is 'not fit to be Fifa president' unless he answers these questions and shares the FFE papers. Infantino has instead asked Council members to submit their questions in writing. Infantino is planning to stand for re-election in March.

How it is being reported

• Under-pressure Infantino apologises for World Cup sell-off planFIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised for his World Cup sell-off plan at a three-hour FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday.Sky Sports · 15 Oct, 17:00
• Fifa still refusing to share World Cup sell-off papers, says FA chairFootball Association chair Debbie Hewitt says the Fifa Council is still being denied full transparency over Gianni Infantino’s aborted World Cup sell-off plan. Infantino apologised to the Council today as it met for the first time since controversy erupted over Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new private company Infantino lined up investors for without telling [...]City AM · 15 Oct, 16:57
• Gianni Infantino apologises for World Cup sell-off plan, but told he’s ‘not fit to be Fifa president’FA chair Debbie Hewitt received ‘no new information’ to change her position during the three-and-a-half hour meeting and said Infantino had still not answered the questions from his criticsIndependent Sport · 15 Oct, 16:34
• Infantino apologises to Fifa Council - but told he's still not fit to leadPresident Gianni Infantino apologises to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan - but is asked to go further.BBC News · 15 Oct, 14:58

In this story: Gianni Infantino · Debbie Hewitt · Fifa · Folarin Balogun · Zurich

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