UEFA Gives FIFA Until Nov. 2 to Hand Over Documents and Answer Questions on FFE, Balogun and Peace Prize

Since the FIFA Council met in Zurich last Thursday and Gianni Infantino apologized for his World Cup sell-off plan without offering a full explanation of how it was devised, UEFA has put its demands in writing. A letter sent today, Monday, Oct. 19, gives FIFA until Monday, Nov. 2 to answer every question and produce the supporting paperwork.

The letter is signed by UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis and addressed to his FIFA counterpart, Mattias Grafström. It comes with an eight-page document of questions. BBC Sport counted 42 questions; the Guardian reported more than 50, covering FIFA's handling of dozens of issues over the past 12 months.

What UEFA is demanding

Theodoridis wrote that Infantino's explanations at the Council "have not begun satisfactorily to address a number of fundamental questions raised by Council members." He added: "Others remain unanswered, and the information and documentation requested have not been provided."

Infantino listened to the questions in Zurich but declined to provide substantive answers. He asked Council members to submit them in writing before their next meeting in Doha on Dec. 16. UEFA is now doing exactly that, but refusing to wait for Doha.

"These questions require answers now," the letter says. "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 wants any refusal justified item by item. "Any refusal to disclose information or documents should be justified individually, with a clear explanation of the specific grounds relied upon," the letter states.

The FFE sell-off plan

The Fifa Forward Enterprise, or FFE, was the proposed sale of 20% of FIFA's commercial rights. It emerged in July, in the days following the World Cup final. The scheme has since been abandoned, and Infantino apologized for it at the Council.

UEFA says that isn't enough. "The withdrawal of FFE, the acknowledgement of mistakes and the announcement of 'potential governance reforms' do not answer how the relevant decisions were taken or why the Fifa Council was not involved at the appropriate stage," the letter says.

The questions are specific. "When was the idea of FFE first explored, by whom and with what objective?" UEFA asks. "Who within Fifa authorised the development of the project, and which members of the Fifa administration were involved?"

UEFA also asks about the circumstances of Infantino's initial presentation of the plan to senior FIFA executives, and raises a potential investigation into FIFA in the United States. According to UEFA's letter, "two days before the vote by the bureau of the management board on the FFE proposal, the Fifa president informed members of the management board that the US authorities were investigating Fifa's administration." UEFA asks him to confirm whether that statement was made. BBC Sport has approached UEFA to ascertain what this refers to.

The letter also covers FIFA's relationship with Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital, asking why an agreement granting exclusivity to the company was signed without prior consultation of the Fifa Council. "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?" UEFA asked. Kushner is the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law, and the US president was awarded the Peace Prize.

Balogun, Trump and the peace prize

The document goes well beyond FFE. It covers the Folarin Balogun case, in which the USA striker avoided an immediate suspension after being sent off at the World Cup. Balogun's ban was lifted by FIFA's disciplinary committee after US President Donald Trump asked Infantino for the decision to be reviewed.

FIFA has insisted the committee is independent. Its legal committee is now reviewing a proposal to amend the disciplinary code to prevent a repeat, with an update due in December. UEFA asks why that is necessary.

UEFA also asks about Trump's role directly. "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? Would the case have been reviewed in the absence of his intervention?"

A follow-up asks whether the FIFA president or secretary general communicated with anyone within FIFA, including the chair of the disciplinary committee, about the case after that conversation. UEFA also asks who decided the matter should be determined by a single member of the committee, and why no disciplinary action was taken against DR Congo after the African nation reportedly played an ineligible player in World Cup qualifying.

On the Peace Prize, UEFA asks who decided to establish it, for what purpose, and who decided that Trump should receive it. The document also raises relations with Trump more broadly, including what FIFA pays to rent office space in Trump Tower. "A series of decisions, transactions and interventions involving the Fifa President, the President of the United States and individuals associated with him raise serious questions concerning potential conflicts of interest, transparency and institutional accountability," UEFA states.

Other decisions UEFA wants explained

The questions reach into operational choices as well: moving the men's World Cup draw to Washington DC from Las Vegas, introducing hydration breaks, and the 27-minute half-time at the World Cup final. UEFA has also requested a complete list of FIFA guests in VIP and VVIP areas at the final, on the grounds that "numerous guests were apparently given priority over Presidents of Member Associations and Secretaries General of Confederations."

UEFA also queries a report in the Times last week that Infantino in 2024 "received substantial additional remuneration which was not disclosed in Fifa's annual report." FIFA has said it "does not pay a second salary to the Fifa president and complies with all reporting requirements in relation to compensation."

The document raises concerns about the presidential election as well, specifically the involvement of Bruno Chiomento, chair of FIFA's electoral committee. "We understand that Mr Chiomento has known the Fifa President for approximately 20 years and is regularly invited to Fifa events and competitions at Fifa's expense," it states, adding that he attended the entire 2026 World Cup as an accredited individual with expenses covered by FIFA for more than five weeks.

The Guardian reported that UEFA's document makes allegations of potential conflicts of interest at FIFA and repeats UEFA's call for a "genuinely independent" governance review.

The money question

When the FFE plan was revealed, Infantino told the 211 member associations they would receive $40m if they backed it, and set a deadline of Sept. 19 for federations to accept if they wanted to access an initial $20m. Once the scheme was abandoned, UEFA and Concacaf called on FIFA to pay at least $10m from its cash reserves to each member association. Last week Infantino agreed, proposing to increase the money handed out for football development across the world by $3.4bn. That would double planned distribution funding for member associations from 2027 to 2030, with $25m available per member association.

UEFA wants to know why. "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?" it asks. "Given Fifa's strong financial position, why was it considered necessary to seek investment from private investors?"

The election clock

Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and is standing for re-election for a third time. As things stand, the Guardian reported, he is on course to be re-elected unopposed, although UEFA is increasingly hopeful of identifying a candidate to take him on before nominations close on Nov. 18, the cut-off date for any candidates to confirm they are standing against him.

UEFA did not outline what steps it intends to take should FIFA not meet the Nov. 2 deadline. FA chair Debbie Hewitt, a FIFA vice-president, set her own standard after the Zurich meeting. "If he doesn't answer those questions, he's not fit to be Fifa president," she said.

FIFA has been approached for comment and had not responded publicly. Sources have indicated that its ability to answer certain questions is restricted by the legal action UEFA has launched.

It remains unclear whether Infantino's office produces documents and written answers by Nov. 2, or holds to the Doha timetable of Dec. 16.