FA Chair Questions Infantino's Fitness for FIFA Presidency Amidst Controversy

Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has stated that FIFA President Gianni Infantino is "not fit to be FIFA president" if he refuses to answer questions regarding his World Cup sell-off plan and the Folarin Balogun case. Hewitt, who also holds a FIFA vice-president position, was among the FIFA Council members who sought accountability from Infantino during a meeting in Zurich.

Infantino offered an apology during the meeting for "mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process." However, Hewitt informed reporters that Council members did not receive satisfactory answers to their specific inquiries about the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan or the incident involving USA striker Folarin Balogun. Balogun's one-match ban was suspended after a call to Infantino from U.S. President Donald Trump.

"The man has to answer those questions, and if he doesn’t answer those questions, no, he’s not fit to be FIFA president, and that was what was shared in the meeting," Hewitt stated. She added that Infantino has asked for questions to be submitted in writing, and emphasized, "The minimum is having the papers from FFE, because if there’s nothing to hide, then share them with us."

The FFE plan, which came to light in July, aimed to establish a company to manage the commercial interests of FIFA's competitions, including the World Cup, with a minority stake offered to private investors. Thrive, a company founded by Josh Kushner, the brother of President Trump's son-in-law, was slated as the lead investor. The plan was ultimately abandoned on August 1 after rejection by three continental confederations.

Several high-ranking FIFA officials, including General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom, senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro, chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, and Arsene Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, publicly disagreed with Infantino's proposal. Hewitt had previously written to Infantino demanding the release of FFE-related documents, and UEFA has initiated legal proceedings in the U.S. to seek disclosure, a move FIFA has contested.

Hewitt's correspondence in September also reportedly requested information on the suspension of Balogun's ban, a decision Infantino has consistently maintained was made independently by the FIFA disciplinary committee. Trump had previously boasted about contacting Infantino after Balogun received a red card, confirming he "asked for a review by FIFA" and asserting, "That wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction."

Infantino stated that "everyone had the opportunity to ask questions and express their views" on FFE and released a video acknowledging mistakes in the communication and consultation process. He reiterated that FFE was a proposal, not a finalized deal, and was intended to increase FIFA's investment in member associations.

UEFA has committed to identifying a candidate to challenge Infantino in the upcoming presidential elections in March, having expressed a loss of confidence in him in August concerning the FFE plan. The deadline for submitting candidacies is November 18.