Infantino calls for external governance review as pressure to resign mounts over World Cup sell-off plan

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has proposed an independent external review of the governing body’s governance framework, outlining his reform plans in a letter sent to all 211 member associations and Fifa Council members on Monday.

The move comes after Infantino was forced to abandon a proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in Fifa tournaments — including the World Cup — to private investors. The plan triggered widespread opposition, with UEFA leading calls for his resignation, joined by the Asian confederation and Concacaf, which represents nations across North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Despite the pressure, the 56-year-old Swiss official reaffirmed his intention to stand for re-election and insisted he is “fully committed to leading Fifa”. In the letter, he wrote: “No association’s treatment will depend on its position on any proposal or institutional matter. I remain fully committed to leading Fifa and confident in what we can achieve together.”

Infantino set out two specific proposals in the letter. The first would see the Fifa Council commission an independent external review of the current governance framework for major strategic initiatives. The second would establish a structured, time-limited consultation with confederations, member associations and relevant stakeholders on how Fifa’s decision-making could be 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,” he wrote.

Infantino, who first announced the private investor plan in July, also stated that “Fifa’s democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale”.

The letter arrives amid additional scrutiny from the Football Association. FA chair Debbie Hewitt wrote to Infantino earlier this month calling for an independent review into both the World Cup investor plan and the handling of the Folarin Balogun case. The FA sought clarity over the decision by Fifa’s disciplinary committee to suspend a one-match ban for United States striker Balogun during the World Cup, a move that followed an intervention by US president Donald Trump.