Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
UEFA letter to FIFA sets a two-week deadline
UEFA has sent FIFA an urgent letter demanding answers to 42 questions about the presidency of Gianni Infantino. The document runs to eight pages and covers 12 topics, including 10 alleged conflicts of interest. Sky Sports News has seen the letter and obtained the full list of questions.
The letter was written on Monday by UEFA secretary general Theodore Theodoridis and sent to his FIFA counterpart Mattias Grafstrom. FIFA has two weeks to respond. The concerns were first raised by European football leaders at the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich last Thursday.
Theodoridis notes that Infantino acknowledged at that meeting that mistakes had been made. The explanations given, he writes, "have not begun satisfactorily to address a number of fundamental questions". UEFA has also requested an immediate audio recording of the meeting.
"These questions require answers now. They cannot be deferred until the next meeting of the FIFA Council - nor can future governance reforms substitute for scrutiny of decisions already taken and accountability for them."
The 42 questions and 12 topics
The first section covers FIFA Forward Enterprise, the proposal to sell a stake in FIFA tournaments. UEFA asks why an exclusivity agreement with Thrive Capital was signed without prior consultation of the FIFA Council, who authorised it, and on what basis. It also asks for the membership of the Management Board Bureau at the time and a vote-by-vote breakdown.
A second section asks how FIFA intends to establish what happened in relation to FFE, the Balogun case and other matters raised by Council members, and whether any investigation will be independent. UEFA also asks why FIFA is blocking the release of documents.
On valuation, UEFA asks FIFA to explain the basis for a $20bn figure for a stake in World Cups when this summer's tournament generated revenues of $15bn. It asks for the investment and exit assumptions behind Thrive Capital's proposed participation.
On development funding, UEFA asks why member associations were to receive increased funding in connection with the sell-off when FIFA holds $6bn in cash reserves. It notes that FIFA has now proposed raising funding to $25m per member association from its own reserves, and asks why that route was not considered earlier.
Balogun case and the Trump call
UEFA asks why Balogun was allowed to play while suspended. It states that President Trump publicly acknowledged calling the FIFA president to request a review of the disciplinary case. The letter asks what Trump asked for, what the response was, and whether the case would have been reviewed without that intervention.
It further asks whether the FIFA president or secretary general contacted anyone inside FIFA, including administration staff or the chair of the disciplinary committee, after that conversation, and if so with whom, when and on what terms.
A separate section covers remuneration. UEFA cites media reports referring to filings by FIFA's US World Cup organising entity, FWC2026 US, indicating a £1.3m payment to the FIFA president in 2024 on top of his £4m FIFA salary. It asks for the nature, amount and basis of the payments, why they were not disclosed in FIFA's annual report, whether competent FIFA bodies approved them, and whether tax was paid.
World Cup operations and the Peace Prize
UEFA questions compliance with the Laws of the Game. It states the half-time interval at the World Cup final lasted 27 minutes without prior request to IFAB or consultation with the FIFA Council. It makes the same point about mandatory hydration breaks at all World Cup matches.
On hospitality, UEFA requests the complete list of guests seated in the VIP and VVIP sections at the final, with names, positions and reasons for invitation. It asks for the criteria used where guests appear to have been given priority over member association presidents and confederation secretaries general.
The letter also asks who decided to establish the FIFA Peace Prize without prior FIFA Council involvement, for what purpose, and who decided the President of the United States should receive it. Further sections cover the FIFA president's use of private aircraft and accommodation costs, including in Qatar and the United States, and the independence of the chair of the FIFA Electoral Committee, Mr Chiomento.
Election field remains open
UEFA has so far failed to put forward a candidate before the 18 November deadline to challenge Infantino in next March's presidential election. Arsene Wenger, FIFA's global football development chief, would be a popular choice but has made no comment about a potential challenge.
The letter's questions on electoral integrity reference an official campaign period beginning on 30 April 2026, the date of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. They ask which body, beyond the FIFA Electoral Committee, oversees the process and what safeguards prevent misuse of FIFA resources.
FIFA has been contacted for comment. The two-week window now sets the next fixed point: whether FIFA answers in writing, releases the meeting audio, or lets the deadline pass without response.
The original report was published by skysports.com.
