Uefa has issued a formal demand for Fifa to disclose key documents and provide comprehensive written answers within two weeks about a controversial plan to sell part of the World Cup’s commercial rights and a raft of governance concerns.
Scope of Uefa’s questions
The letter, from Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis to Fifa general secretary Mattias Grafström, comes with an eight-page annex containing more than 50 questions. It interrogates multiple episodes that have rocked football’s world governing body over the past year, asking for supporting documentation and demanding justifications where Fifa might refuse to disclose material.
Issues raised include:
- the proposed sale of 20% of World Cup commercial rights;
- the so-called Folarin Balogun affair;
- the award of a peace prize;
- Fifa’s dealings with Donald Trump;
- arrangements for next year’s Fifa presidential election and potential conflicts of interest.
Uefa reiterates calls for an independent governance review, and requests that responses be produced by Monday 2 November. Any refusal to supply requested documents must be individually justified, the letter states.
“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.”
Background and recent exchanges
The demand follows last week’s Fifa Council meeting in Zurich, the first since allegations around the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) were made public in July. At that meeting, Fifa president Gianni Infantino faced questions about FFE and other matters but did not provide substantive responses, telling council members to submit queries in writing ahead of the next council session due in Doha on 16 December.
Uefa’s intervention is the most detailed and forceful to date from a leading confederation. The eight-page document accompanied the formal letter and sets out a consolidated set of queries and requests for evidence, underlining that governance reform cannot be used as a retroactive shield against scrutiny.
Potential consequences
The demand places Fifa under pressure to justify decisions linked to the proposed commercial rights transaction and other controversial episodes. If Fifa refuses to comply with the two-week timetable, Uefa has requested clear explanations for each item withheld — a step that could increase tensions between the organisations and prompt further institutional scrutiny.
The request also signals growing impatience among member associations for transparency and accountability from football’s top governing body. The list of questions and the insistence on documentary evidence make clear that Uefa expects more than verbal assurances or promises of future reform.
| Item | Focus of questions |
|---|---|
| World Cup rights | Proposed sale of 20% of commercial rights; contracts and decision-making |
| Governance | Alleged conflicts of interest; independence of review |
| Specific affairs | Folarin Balogun affair; peace prize; relations with Donald Trump |
How Fifa responds will shape the debate ahead of December’s council meeting in Doha and the presidential election cycle that follows. Theodoridis’ letter frames the demand as a matter of immediate accountability rather than something to be postponed until proposed governance changes are implemented.
As this exchange develops, European associations and clubs will be watching closely. The outcome could influence commercial negotiations, governance reform trajectories and the credibility of Fifa’s leadership on issues that touch the sport’s integrity and finances.
