Debbie Hewitt, the FA chair and a FIFA vice-president, has written to FIFA president Gianni Infantino asking for documents tied to two separate controversies to be handed over to the FIFA Council: the scrapped plan to sell off a stake in the World Cup, and the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's suspension.
In an update to members of the FA Council, Hewitt said she had sent "a robust note" to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. She called for "all information, files and documents" relating to the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme and the reversal of USMNT striker Balogun's one-game ban to be shared ahead of the next FIFA Council meeting on October 15.
Hewitt reminded Infantino and Grafstrom in the letter that FIFA "cannot conduct a review itself of these events," pressing instead for an independent investigation by the Council into both matters.
Two Separate Controversies
The first issue concerns Infantino's proposal, unveiled and then abandoned in July, to open up stakes in FIFA's commercial and event operations, including the World Cup itself, to private investment. The plan was scrapped after widespread global backlash, a controversy that continues to put pressure on his position as president.
The second involves Balogun, whose one-match ban for being sent off against Bosnia & Herzegovina during the World Cup was suspended by FIFA following a phone call between Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump. That reversal allowed the Monaco forward to play in the United States' round-of-16 defeat to Belgium.
Hewitt also said other Council members would soon raise similar concerns with FIFA, including questions over how Trump came to be awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in July.
Mounting Pressure on Infantino
Hewitt's letter follows a joint statement from the presidents of UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, who have raised similar concerns and called on Infantino to step down.
The FA had originally agreed to back Infantino's re-election before the Forward Enterprise scandal broke, but has since withdrawn that endorsement. FIFA has indicated that Infantino still intends to seek a third four-year term as president next year, despite the growing calls for his resignation. FIFA has been approached for comment.
