UEFA demands answers from FIFA over Gianni Infantino presidency: reports

Oct 20 - UEFA has sent a letter to FIFA seeking answers about Gianni Infantino's presidency, including questions over the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project and the FIFA Peace Prize, by November 2, British media reported on Monday.

UEFA has led calls for Infantino to resign since he proposed the now-abandoned FFE project, which involved creating a company to run the commercial interests of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and selling a minority stake to private investors.

The 56-year-old, who is up for reelection next year, apologised to the FIFA Council last week and told attendees to submit any questions they had about his governance in writing so he could answer them at the next meeting on December 16.

However, Sky Sports and other British media reported on Monday that UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis had written to his FIFA counterpart Mattias Grafstrom seeking a swift response to 42 questions covering 12 topics.

"These questions require answers now," Theodoridis wrote.

"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."

Reuters has not seen a copy of the letter.

UEFA and FIFA did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Infantino will stand for reelection in March 2027, with a November 18 deadline looming for potential candidates to submit their nominations. REUTERS