Gianni Infantino ‘not fit to be FIFA president’ without answers – Debbie Hewitt

Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt says Gianni Infantino is “not fit to be FIFA president” if he does not answer questions about his World Cup private investor plan or the Folarin Balogun case.

Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, was one of a number of FIFA Council members who tried to hold Infantino to account in Zurich on Thursday at its first meeting since the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan came to light.

She said Council members had not received answers to “anything we had specifically requested” regarding FFE or the Balogun incident, where the United States striker’s one-match ban was suspended following a call to Infantino from US President Donald Trump.

Hewitt told reporters in Zurich: “The man has to answer those questions, and if he doesn’t answer those questions, no, he’s not fit to be FIFA president, and that was what was shared in the meeting.

“He’s told us to submit those questions. There were so many of them, and now it’s up to him to do that, and do that in the open way.

“The minimum is having the papers from FFE, because if there’s nothing to hide, then share them with us.”

FFE first became public knowledge in a report in The Times on July 28. Infantino sought to create a company to manage the commercial interests of FIFA’s competitions, including the World Cup, but wanted a minority stake to be made available to private investors.

The lead investor was set to be Thrive, a company founded by President Trump’s son-in-law’s brother, Josh Kushner, but the plan was abandoned on August 1 after three continental confederations rejected it.

Hewitt has previously written to Infantino demanding the release of documents related to FFE, while European football’s governing body UEFA has also submitted legal applications in the US seeking disclosure, which FIFA has challenged.

Hewitt said Infantino apologised on Thursday for not bringing FFE to the Council, adding he “regrets that deeply”.

Hewitt’s September letter to Infantino is also understood to have requested information on how the Balogun ban came to be suspended. Infantino has always maintained the decision was made entirely independently of him by the FIFA disciplinary committee.

Hewitt said it was “reasonable” for Infantino to request the submission of questions in writing, adding: “He gave us the opportunity to say what we felt, and I think anybody that didn’t say what they felt in there, they’ve missed their opportunity.

“I have no new information that makes me feel any differently about how I felt when I went in, other than we do have a president of FIFA who is apologetic about what has happened, and secondly, a promise again that we will get the information that we’ve requested.”

UEFA has vowed to identify a credible candidate to stand against Infantino in next March’s presidential elections, having declared its loss of confidence in him in August over the FFE plan.

The deadline for candidacies to be submitted is November 18.

Belgian FA chair Pascale Van Damme, another FIFA Council member, said the “specific circumstances” of the Balogun case would be communicated by FIFA on December 16, and that an amendment to Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code to prevent a repeat of the case would be submitted for approval on the same date.

Belgium were the US’ opponents in the World Cup last-16 match Balogun was controversially cleared to play in, but the Europeans ran out 4-1 winners.

Van Damme said: “For us, this is not where it ends. We want not only to see the rules amended, but also to have clarity on how they are applied.

“Transparency, legal certainty and good governance must form the foundation of every decision taken within international football. We will continue to monitor this matter closely.”