Soccer-Infantino says he is open to talks over FIFA reform

Soccer Football - 50th Ordinary UEFA Congress - Brussels Expo, Brussels, Belgium - February 12, 2026 FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks during the event REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - FIFA President ⁠Gianni Infantino proposed an outside review of how the governing body makes major decisions on Monday, acknowledging ⁠in a letter to members that its handling of a now-abandoned investment plan had caused concern.

"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," Infantino wrote to the FIFA Council and all 211 member association presidents in a letter seen by Reuters.

He also said ​he would propose consultations with confederations, member associations and other stakeholders ⁠on strengthening FIFA's decision-making.

The proposals would examine who ⁠has a say in major initiatives, including the respective roles of the president, Bureau, Council and Congress, and how ⁠to ‌improve transparency and accountability.

Infantino faced a fierce backlash over his proposal to sell a 20% stake in FIFA's commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private investors. The plan was abandoned in July after opposition ⁠and boycott threats, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF subsequently ​calling for changes to FIFA's leadership.

Infantino ‌said the abandoned plan had explored whether selling a minority stake in a FIFA-controlled commercial company ⁠could raise more money ​for football development. It would not have involved giving up control over sporting decisions, he said.

But the proposal became public before it could be presented in full to the Council and member associations, according to Infantino.

"I recognise that, without the full context, this ⁠caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been ​taken. They had not."

"It remained a proposal, not a decision, and was always subject to the necessary approvals of the Council and the Member Associations. It has now been withdrawn and will not proceed."

Infantino said he had heard differing ideas ⁠about who should decide major strategic questions. Some favoured requiring unanimous agreement in the Bureau, while others wanted such matters put directly to Congress and the member associations.

"My role is not to pre-judge that discussion. Those who support a particular model should have the opportunity to set out their case clearly," he wrote.

Suggestions received by the October 15 ​Council meeting could be discussed there, with later submissions also considered within a ⁠deadline yet to be specified. Any changes to FIFA's statutes would need Congress approval.

Infantino also said member associations' positions on proposals ​or governance matters would not affect their treatment by FIFA, whose ‌development and solidarity programmes would continue under existing rules.

"No association’s ​treatment will depend on its position on any proposal or institutional matter," he wrote.

"I remain fully committed to leading FIFA and confident in what we can achieve together."

(Reporting by Julien PretotEditing by Christian Radnedge)

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足球——第50届欧足联大会——比利时布鲁塞尔布鲁塞尔会展中心——2026年2月12日 国际足联主席詹尼·因凡蒂诺在大会上发表讲话 路透社/贝努瓦·泰西耶

巴黎，9 月 21 日（路透社）——国际足联主席詹尼·因凡蒂诺周一提议对该管理机构如何做出重大决定进行外部审查，他在致成员的一封信中承认，该机构对一项现已放弃的投资计划的处理方式引起了人们的担忧。

“首先，我将询问理事会是否希望委托对国际足联当前重大战略举措的治理框架进行独立外部审查，并提出可能的改进建议，”因凡蒂诺在一封路透社看到的信中写道，该信是写给国际足联理事会和所有 211 个成员协会主席的。

他还表示，他将提议与各足联、成员协会和其他利益相关者进行磋商，以加强国际足联的决策能力。

这些提案将探讨谁对重大举措拥有发言权，包括总统、主席团、理事会和国会各自的角色，以及如何提高透明度和问责制。

因凡蒂诺提议将国际足联20%的商业权益（包括世界杯）出售给私人投资者，此举引发了强烈反弹。在遭到反对和抵制威胁后，该计划于7月被放弃。随后，欧足联、亚足联和中北美及加勒比海足联呼吁更换国际足联领导层。

因凡蒂诺表示，这项被放弃的计划曾探讨过出售国际足联控制的商业公司的少数股权是否能为足球发展筹集更多资金。他强调，该计划不会让国际足联放弃对体育决策的控制权。

但据因凡蒂诺称，该提案在完整地提交给理事会和成员协会之前就已经公之于众了。

“我意识到，在不了解全部背景的情况下，这引起了人们的担忧，并给人一种已经做出决定的印象。但事实并非如此。”

“这始终只是一项提案，而非决定，并且始终需要理事会和成员协会的必要批准。现在该提案已被撤回，不会再继续推进。”

因凡蒂诺表示，他听到了关于谁应该决定重大战略问题的不同意见。一些人赞成要求主席团全体成员一致同意，而另一些人则希望将此类问题直接提交给国会和成员协会。

“我的职责不是预先评判这场讨论。支持某种模式的人应该有机会清楚地阐述他们的观点，”他写道。

10月15日理事会会议收到的建议将在会上进行讨论，之后提交的建议也将在尚未确定的截止日期前予以考虑。对国际足联章程的任何修改都需要大会批准。

因凡蒂诺还表示，成员协会对提案或治理事项的立场不会影响国际足联对待它们的方式，国际足联的发展和团结计划将继续按照现有规则执行。

“任何协会的待遇都不会取决于其对任何提案或机构事务的立场，”他写道。

“我将继续全力以赴领导国际足联，并对我们共同取得的成就充满信心。”

（朱利安·普雷托报道，克里斯蒂安·拉德内奇编辑）

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