The facts
Gianni Infantino told FIFA’s 211 member associations that he would ask the council to consider an independent review of FIFA’s governance framework for “major strategic initiatives” at its October 15 meeting. Under the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, private investors would have bought shares in the World Cup and other competitions.
On September 24, The Guardian reported that Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt and many fellow council members wanted the plan and its documents included in the review. Infantino’s letter did not name the investor scheme, and the council has not settled the review’s terms.
Our take
“Major strategic initiatives” is a roomy phrase. The private-investor plan that helped trigger this mess still isn’t named in Infantino’s letter, and FIFA’s council now has to decide whether it belongs in the review.
An independent review sounds lovely before anyone writes down what the reviewer gets to inspect. The plan may be abandoned, but its paperwork is still the one fucking guest FIFA cannot get out of the room.
