FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed an independent review of the organisation’s governance system and consultations with member associations on how major decisions are made.
Infantino made the proposal in a letter sent to the FIFA Council and all 211 member associations on Monday. The move comes after FIFA abandoned its controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) investment proposal following opposition from several football confederations.
Under his proposal, FIFA’s Council would consider commissioning an external and independent assessment of the organisation’s governance framework for major strategic initiatives. The review would also recommend possible improvements.
Infantino also proposed a structured consultation involving FIFA’s six confederations, member associations and other stakeholders. The discussions would examine the respective roles of the FIFA president, Bureau, Council and Congress, as well as ways to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability.
The FIFA president said the consultation would allow members to submit proposals ahead of the next FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15.
The development follows the collapse of the FFE proposal, which would have involved private investors acquiring a stake in a FIFA-controlled commercial company connected to major competitions, including the World Cup.
The proposal generated opposition from several football bodies, including UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF. UEFA and other organisations subsequently called for changes to FIFA’s leadership and governance arrangements.
Infantino said the investment proposal had been withdrawn and would not proceed. He also maintained that it was never intended to transfer FIFA’s control over sporting decisions.
According to Infantino, the proposal entered the public domain before FIFA’s planned institutional process had been completed, creating the impression that decisions had already been made.
The FIFA president said the organisation would continue looking for sustainable ways to increase its resources and expand development and solidarity funding for member associations.
The governance discussion comes ahead of FIFA’s presidential election scheduled for March 2027. Infantino has confirmed that he intends to seek another term, while potential challengers have until November 18 to submit nominations.
Germany’s Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf, however, has criticised Infantino’s latest proposal. Reuters reported that Neuendorf described the letter as an attempt to strengthen Infantino’s position ahead of the election. That is Neuendorf’s stated assessment, rather than an established fact.
FIFA’s Council is expected to consider the proposed governance review and consultation process when it meets in October.
