UEFA sets two‑week deadline for FIFA to produce key documents

European football’s governing body UEFA has given FIFA until 2 November to hand over a series of requested documents and to answer a list of questions concerning the sport’s governance and recent decisions. The deadline was outlined in a letter from UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis that was obtained by BBC Sport.

The correspondence, which runs eight pages and contains 42 separate queries, asks for clarification on a range of topics. Among the issues are the private‑investment scheme known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the FIFA Peace Prize, and the suspended ban imposed on United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. Theodoridis wrote that FIFA has not addressed “a number of fundamental questions” and that “others remain unanswered, and the information and documentation requested have not been provided.”

The letter stresses that any refusal to disclose material must be justified on a case‑by‑case basis, with a clear explanation of the grounds relied upon. It adds that the questions require answers now and cannot be postponed until the next FIFA Council meeting, and that future governance reforms cannot replace scrutiny of past decisions.

The deadline arrives shortly before 18 November, the date by which candidates must confirm whether they will stand against incumbent president Gianni Infantino in next year’s election. UEFA did not specify what actions it would take if FIFA fails to meet the deadline, but said the pressure on Infantino would increase.

Infantino had previously apologised at a FIFA Council meeting for a “World Cup sell‑off” plan, but he did not provide a full explanation of how the proposal was developed. After the council session, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, who also serves as a FIFA vice‑president, warned that failure to answer the questions would make Infantino unfit for the presidency.

A FIFA spokesperson said the organisation intends to respond to the queries but will not breach confidentiality by commenting on internal communications or documents to the media. The spokesperson pointed out that FIFA’s governance regulations require council meetings and related documentation to remain confidential, describing respect for those rules as respect for the council and its members. The body also said it will not engage in exchanges with third parties that could undermine that confidentiality.

UEFA’s questions on the FFE programme probe the origins of the idea, the individuals who first explored it, and the objectives behind it. The letter asks who within FIFA authorised the project, which administrators were involved, and what concrete steps will be taken to ensure that the shortcomings identified in the FFE process cannot recur. It also seeks details on the circumstances of Infantino’s initial presentation of the plan to senior FIFA officials and on a reported statement that U.S. authorities were investigating FIFA’s administration two days before the management board voted on the proposal.

Further inquiries focus on Infantino’s personal involvement with the FFE scheme, both during and after his tenure, and on the partnership with Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital. UEFA asks why an exclusive agreement with Thrive was signed without prior council consultation, why the firm was chosen without a competitive tender, and why the deal was kept strictly confidential despite Kushner’s family ties to the recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize. Kushner is the brother of Donald Trump’s son‑in‑law, and the U.S. president received the peace prize.

The letter also demands an explanation of how the FIFA Peace Prize was created, its intended purpose, and who decided that President Trump should be the award’s inaugural recipient.

When the FFE plan was announced in the days after the World Cup final, Infantino told the 211 member associations that they could receive $40 million if they supported the scheme, with an initial $20 million available to those that accepted by 19 September. After the plan was abandoned, UEFA and CONCACAF called on FIFA to pay at least $10 million from its cash reserves to each member association. Last week Infantino agreed to increase the amount of development funding by $3.4 billion, a move that will double the level of cash released from FIFA’s reserves.