FIFA has confirmed that the review of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) will be presented to the 37 members of its Council, while questions remain unanswered about how the ultimately withdrawn commercial proposal was developed and advanced. “As previously communicated, a review of the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal will be presented to the FIFA Council”, the organisation stated. The confirmation places scrutiny of what happened before the body responsible for the international federation’s strategic direction and oversight.
The Council is FIFA’s main decision-making body between Congress meetings and comprises the president, eight vice-presidents and 28 other members. A controversy that began with a private investment proposal will now undergo review by the organisation’s collective leadership. Congress, made up of the national associations, remains its supreme legislative body, according to FIFA’s institutional structure.
Jesper Møller’s unanswered questions
The response follows criticism from Danish FA President Jesper Møller over the lack of answers at a Legal Committee meeting. According to his comments reported by Danish outlet Campo, FFE was not on the agenda, despite the committee’s role in advising on FIFA’s legal matters. Møller explained that he used the meeting to raise questions about the process followed and that answers were deferred until the Council discussion scheduled for October.
The Danish official’s concerns focus on how the initiative was developed and handled, even after its withdrawal. His intervention highlights the explanations he continues to seek regarding the actions of those responsible for the project and the involvement of FIFA’s internal bodies. Presenting the review to the Council will be FIFA’s next announced step in addressing the matter.
A withdrawn proposal still under scrutiny
Promoted under Gianni Infantino’s presidency, FFE envisaged bringing in external investors with a 20% stake in the commercial business of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. The organisation explained that it would transfer its commercial and tournament delivery activities to a subsidiary over which it would retain control. It defended the arrangement as a way to increase funding for football development across its 211 member associations, according to its public explanations of the proposal.
The initiative faced strong opposition, with UEFA, AFC and Concacaf among the confederations that challenged it and subsequently called for changes to FIFA’s leadership structure. On July 31, Infantino announced its withdrawal, acknowledging the divisions it had caused. “This proposal will not proceed”, he stated in the official announcement, in which he also expressed his intention to bring the interested parties back together.
The withdrawal ended the commercial proposal, but questions about how it was handled remain. The Council will now receive the review announced by FIFA: that is the confirmed development, without prejudging its conclusions or the decisions its members may take.
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