Gianni Infantino said sorry to the Fifa Council on Thursday, and it did not go as far as many of its members wanted. The Fifa president apologised for his secret plan to sell off a slice of the World Cup's commercial rights, but one of his own vice-presidents says he will not be fit to lead unless he hands over the paperwork and answers the questions put to him.
A three-and-a-half-hour meeting in Zurich
It was the first Council meeting since the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal came to light. Under FFE, which Infantino scrapped within days, part of Fifa's commercial rights would have gone to a private investment firm. The Council spent three and a half hours on it, and also pressed him on the suspended red-card ban for US striker Folarin Balogun, the Fifa Peace Prize, and funding for national associations.
Infantino did not speak to reporters afterwards. Hours later Fifa put out a video statement in his name. In it he stressed that FFE was a proposal and in no way a done deal, and said it was meant to let Fifa invest more in its member associations rather than replace support they already receive. He added that he would answer questions in writing in due course after what he called a constructive discussion.
Hewitt: the answers have to come
Debbie Hewitt, the Football Association chair and a Fifa vice-president, described it as the most robust and open Council meeting she had sat through. Her frustration was plain. The Council had specifically asked for the FFE papers and did not get them, and was told to submit its questions in writing. If Infantino does not answer them, she said, he is not fit to be Fifa president.
She did acknowledge some contrition. What he had apologised for, in her words, was not bringing the plan to the Council in the first place. On the Balogun case, she noted that the player's ban was suspended after US President Donald Trump asked for the decision to be reviewed. BBC Sport understands a proposal was put forward to change the disciplinary code so an automatic one-match red-card ban cannot be suspended. Fifa's legal committee is due to report to the Council in December.
An election with no challenger yet
Infantino is due to stand for a third term in March, and no credible rival has emerged. Former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega has said he intends to run, though that looks unlikely to get anywhere. Uefa, one of Infantino's fiercest critics, has repeatedly called on him to stand down and is understood to want Arsene Wenger, now Fifa's global head of football development, to run against him. It is unclear whether Wenger would take that on.
Candidates have until 18 November to get their names on the ballot. Hewitt said it would be good for Fifa to have a choice, noting Infantino was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, and that all 211 member associations deserve the chance to vote as they see fit. She also said nothing had shifted in her position, other than that Fifa now has a president who is apologetic.
Key facts: Fifa Council met in Zurich on Thursday 15 October. Infantino stands for re-election in March; nominations close on 18 November. Fifa's legal committee reports on disciplinary code changes in December.
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