FIFA power struggle: Infantino remains answers to the investors

FIFA power struggle: Infantino remains indebted for answers to the investors' plans The Fifa Council met for the first time since the dispute over the presidency began. Infantino's proposal to distribute more money was accepted. Will there be a nasty exchange? That was the question before the Fifa Council meeting on Thursday at the Fifa Home in Zurich. The leadership body of the World Football Federation met in person for the first time since Fifa President Gianni Infantino, with his plans to sell some of the revenue rights to private investors, had stirred up the European football world. The meeting lasted three and a half hours, which probably did little to resolve the dispute between Infantino and his opponents. "One of the disappointments was that we did not receive answers to any of our concrete requests – such as the request for access to FIFA documents," said Debbie Hewitt, president of the English association (FA), to the BBC immediately after the meeting. Infantino lets his opponents go unanswered Infantino's entanglement with the failed establishment of the company Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), which was intended to be a vehicle for private investors, was an item on the agenda. The alliance of Infantino's opponents from the European football association (UEFA) as well as representatives of CONCACAF, the umbrella body of North and Central America, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had demanded that Infantino make all the documents of the investment deal available to the 37-member Council. Infantino had the requested documents for the FFE project kept "confidential due to ongoing legal investigations in America," according to a press release. UEFA commissioned a law firm in New York in August to prepare a criminal investigation. The law firm instructed Fifa to delete documents, case notes, chat logs, and similar materials. With reference to the ongoing proceedings, Infantino was able to repeat his verbal apology, which he had already expressed after the withdrawal of the investment plans. For the moment, UEFA has shot themselves in the foot with the threatened criminal proceedings. Nevertheless, Hewitt said: "The man must answer our written requests. If he does not do so now, he is unsuitable as president – and that is exactly what was expressed in the meeting." Bernd Neuendorf, the president of the German Football Association (DFB), also expressed: "We have asked many critical questions, and in my view, there have been no satisfactory answers." There was no statement from UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin at first. The spokesman for Infantino's opponents left the Fifa Home in a darkened limousine, according to the German Press Agency. Infantino apparently let his opponents go unanswered, and the fronts remain hardened. Čeferin, Victor Montagliani, and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa – the respective presidents of UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC – want new leadership. The mood is different in Africa, for example. Recently, the African Confederation (CAF) decided to support Infantino "unanimously" with its national associations in Rabat. "There is no ban on nominating candidates," said Mauritanian Council member Ahmed Yahya. "The deadlines are set. We have until November 18th to see if there is a candidate or not. As we see, the majority of associations and confederations worldwide, as well as the confederations, support President Gianni Infantino." National associations receive much more Fifa money Shortly before the Council meeting, Infantino had put forward the proposal to increase the subsidies to all 211 member national football associations from around 10 to about 25 million dollars. No one voted for it. This meets the critics' demand to pass some of the FIFA reserves, estimated at 6 billion dollars, to the national associations. A maneuver that will likely benefit Infantino – and not his opponents. In a private statement via LinkedIn, Infantino wrote that he had "increased the grants to the associations from 1 to 25 million dollars since the beginning of my presidency 16 years ago." The new regulation on the punishment of red cards was rejected at the meeting. The background was the case of Balogun, when the American striker was suspended at the World Cup. Donald Trump had requested this by telephone. The question of what would happen with Infantino's peace prize was postponed to the next meeting on December 16th. For the review of internal procedures and governance in Fifa, a working group with members of the Council is appointed, whose findings could be discussed at the next Council meeting. However, an external, FIFA-independent company is demanded to investigate the structures in the FIFA administration. In the fight for the FIFA presidency at the Delegate Assembly on March 18th, it remains crucial whether Čeferin and his allies can put forward a viable alternative candidate. Arsène Wenger or Luis Figo are names that are repeatedly mentioned. It is said by UEFA circles that they should wait until just before November 18th for the announcement. If they fail, the way is open for Infantino.