Gianni Infantino has told FIFA Council members and the presidents of all 211 member associations that he is open to dialogue over reform at world football's governing body. The letter, sent on Monday and seen by The Athletic, comes weeks after his abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal caused a storm within the sport.
Ahead of the FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15, Infantino has put forward two separate plans. "First, I will ask the Council whether it wishes to commission an independent external review of FIFA's current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend potential improvements," his letter reads. "Second, I will propose that the Council establish a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, Member Associations and relevant stakeholders on how FIFA's decision-making can be further strengthened."
According to the letter, that 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."
Infantino was careful to stress that the FFE episode does not signal any willingness to cede FIFA's authority. "FIFA's democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale," he wrote. "They are not for sale and never will be."
What happens next is up to the Council
Any decision on whether to pursue Infantino's suggestions rests with the FIFA Council, the organisation's main decision-making body made up of 37 members. Nothing in the letter commits FIFA to either the external review or the consultation process; both are proposals for the Council to consider.
The FFE controversy that prompted the letter
Infantino has faced scrutiny since details of the FFE proposal leaked to the media. Had it been approved by a majority of the 211 member associations, the plan would have seen Thrive Eternal, a U.S. investment fund run by Joshua Kushner, purchase a stake in the men's and women's World Cup and other FIFA competitions.
In his letter, Infantino insisted the plan "did not involve relinquishing FIFA's control or authority over sporting decisions." He said the proposal "entered the public domain before FIFA's planned institutional process had been completed and before it could be presented in full to the Council and the Member Associations," adding: "I recognise that, without the full context, this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not."
He was explicit that the idea is now dead. "It remained a proposal, not a decision, and was always subject to the necessary approvals of the Council and the Member Associations," he wrote. "It has now been withdrawn and will not proceed."
Infantino framed the episode as a lesson in process rather than ambition. "This experience has reinforced a simple point: a worthwhile objective must be matched by a process that commands confidence," he said, adding that FIFA will "continue to explore sustainable ways to grow FIFA's resources" despite the setback. "What changes is not the ambition, but the strength of the process through which major ideas are developed, tested and decided."
Legal battle with UEFA continues
The reform letter lands amid an ongoing legal dispute between Infantino and UEFA. Infantino is the subject of a legal filing in the United States in which UEFA accuses him of "criminal mismanagement." FIFA has responded by accusing European football's governing body of running a "smear campaign" against its president.
Earlier this month, Infantino reiterated his intention to stand in the FIFA presidential election in March, despite calls from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani for him to step down. He remains the only declared candidate, with a deadline of November 18 for anyone else to enter the race.
