FIFA president opens door on potential reforms as investment plan fallout continues

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has signaled an openness to reform, saying in a letter sent Monday, Sept. 21 that he will poll leadership about an external review and speak with members about the organization’s structure.

The letter, seen by The Athletic and other media organizations, was sent to the FIFA Council and to the presidents of FIFA’s 211 member associations.

“First, I will ask the Council whether it wishes to commission an independent external review of FIFA’s current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend potential improvements,” he wrote.

“Second, I will propose that the Council establish a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, Member Associations and relevant stakeholders on how FIFA’s decision-making can be further strengthened.

“The consultation would invite specific proposals on earlier institutional involvement, the respective roles of the President, the Bureau, the Council and the Congress, and practical ways to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability in major strategic initiatives.”

The council, made up of 37 members from around the world, is set to meet Oct. 15 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The letter comes days after the presidents of UEFA and Concacaf – the governing bodies for soccer in Europe and North America, Central America and the Caribbean – sent their own letter advocating for each member association to receive $10 million from FIFA’s cash reserves after the success of the 2026 World Cup. Asian Football Confederation president Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who had joined with UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani in past communication, wrote his own, separate letter.

Čeferin, Montagliani and Al Khalifa all are vice presidents of the FIFA Council.

FIFA has been in flux since shortly after the World Cup when Infantino announced a plan to invite public equity to take partial ownership of the tournament, a move roundly criticized in the soccer world. Infantino withdrew the proposal, but its existence and the way he introduced it has caused many leaders to call for an opposition candidate to run against Infantino when the FIFA presidency is contested in March 2027.

In his latest letter, he emphasized the proposal is dead and admitted it became public before he was able to present it to members as planned.

“The proposal entered the public domain before FIFA’s planned institutional process had been completed and before it could be presented in full to the Council and the Member Associations,” Infantino wrote. “I recognize that, without the full context, this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not.

“It remained a proposal, not a decision, and was always subject to the necessary approvals of the Council and the Member Associations. It has now been withdrawn and will not proceed.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA president opens door on potential reforms as investment plan fallout continues