FIFA to grant access to documents from scrapped World Cup sell-off plan

Fifa has agreed to share key documents related to president Gianni Infantino's aborted plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, as requested by UEFA. UEFA had given FIFA until November 2nd to release these documents and answer questions concerning the governance and decision-making process of the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" (FFE) proposal.

Infantino had apologized for the abandoned sell-off plan but did not offer a full explanation, requesting that questions be submitted in writing. Just hours before the deadline expired, FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom informed council members they could view the "key documents" in person at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, under strict confidentiality protocols.

The letter indicated that the documents would be available within the next two weeks, though it was unclear which specific documents would be shared. BBC Sport was told that FIFA viewed UEFA's two-week deadline as unfeasible due to their focus on organizing a new youth World Cup in Azerbaijan and preparations for an extraordinary congress later in the month.

FIFA's ability to answer some questions is also limited by legal action initiated by UEFA in October in the US, which could lead to a criminal complaint in Switzerland. UEFA accused FIFA of failing to address fundamental questions surrounding the FFE proposal, funding, national associations, the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and the controversial suspended ban on USA striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.