FIFA Council Set to Examine Infantino’s Abandoned $20bn Investment Proposal

FIFA has confirmed that its 37-member Council will receive a formal review of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, the controversial investment plan championed by President Gianni Infantino before it was withdrawn following widespread opposition from football’s governing bodies.

The decision comes after mounting criticism over how the proposal was conceived and communicated. Danish Football Association chairman Jesper Møller recently accused FIFA of failing to provide satisfactory answers to what he described as “critical questions” during a meeting of the organization's Legal Committee, prompting renewed calls for accountability within world football.

FIFA said the review will be presented in accordance with its governance framework, explaining that its standing committees are responsible for advising and assisting the Council on matters within their respective mandates. While the governing body did not disclose the contents of the review or a timetable for publication, it said the assessment had been previously promised after the proposal was abandoned.

The now-shelved FFE project sought to create a commercial subsidiary that would manage the rights to FIFA’s major competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. Under the proposal, external investors would have acquired a 20% stake in the new entity, a move that valued the business at around $20 billion and promised significantly increased financial distributions to FIFA’s 211 member associations.

Supporters argued that the initiative could unlock fresh capital for football development worldwide, particularly in smaller nations that rely heavily on FIFA funding. Critics, however, questioned the lack of consultation with member associations and warned that introducing private equity into the commercial ownership of football’s flagship tournaments risked compromising the sport’s independence and governance.

The backlash quickly grew into one of the most significant governance challenges of Infantino’s presidency. UEFA, alongside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, publicly opposed the proposal, while discussions within European football expanded beyond the investment plan to broader concerns about transparency and decision-making at FIFA. Several national associations have since withdrawn their support for Infantino’s re-election campaign ahead of the March 2027 FIFA presidential election.

Despite the criticism, multiple reports indicate that Infantino still retains substantial backing from many member associations and remains well positioned to seek a fourth term. As a result, opponents have increasingly focused on pursuing governance reforms and strengthening institutional oversight rather than attempting to remove him outright.

The forthcoming Council review is therefore about more than a withdrawn commercial proposal. It represents an important test of FIFA’s willingness to address concerns over transparency, consultation and governance at a time when the organization is enjoying record commercial success yet facing unprecedented scrutiny over how the future of global football is managed.