Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; Score808 Live provides the summary and editorial framing.
The UEFA letter to FIFA and its two-week deadline
UEFA has sent FIFA an urgent letter demanding written answers to 42 questions about Gianni Infantino's presidency. The UEFA letter to FIFA was written on Monday by secretary general Theodore Theodoridis and addressed to his FIFA counterpart Mattias Grafstrom. Sky Sports News has seen the letter and obtained the full eight-page list of questions.
Theodoridis gives FIFA two weeks to respond. The questions cover 12 topics, including 10 alleged conflicts of interest. UEFA also requested an immediate audio recording of last Thursday's FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, where European officials raised the concerns.
The letter notes that Infantino acknowledged at that meeting that mistakes had been made. It states that the explanations given "have not begun satisfactorily to address a number of fundamental questions".
"These questions require answers now," Theodoridis writes. "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."
FIFA Forward Enterprise and the Thrive Capital exclusivity
The first block of questions concerns 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 FIFA to enter it, and on what basis.
FIFA is asked to name the members of the Management Board Bureau at the time of the decision and to record how each voted: in favour, against or abstaining. UEFA also asks when the proposal and supporting documents were meant to be submitted to the Council.
On valuation, UEFA asks FIFA to explain the investment and exit assumptions behind Thrive Capital's proposed participation, and on what basis a stake was pitched at $20bn when this summer's tournament generated revenues of $15bn.
A further section addresses 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, and why FIFA has now proposed raising funding to $25m per association from its own reserves after the proposal was withdrawn.
Infantino remuneration and the Balogun disciplinary case
UEFA asks about a £1.3m payment Infantino received in 2024 on top of his £4m FIFA salary. The letter cites media reports referring to filings by FIFA's US World Cup organising entity, FWC2026 US, indicating additional remuneration not disclosed in FIFA's annual report. FIFA is asked to clarify the nature, amount and basis of the payments, whether competent FIFA bodies reviewed and approved them, and whether income tax was paid.
On the Balogun case, UEFA notes that President Trump publicly acknowledged calling the FIFA president to request a review of the disciplinary matter. The letter asks what Trump asked him to do and what his response was, and whether the case would have been reviewed without that intervention. It also asks whether Infantino or the secretary general contacted anyone inside FIFA, including the chair of the disciplinary committee, after that conversation.
A separate section asks who decided to establish the FIFA Peace Prize, for what purpose, and who decided the President of the United States should receive it, given no prior involvement of the FIFA Council.
Laws of the Game, elections and hospitality
UEFA questions the 27-minute half-time interval at the World Cup final, stating there was no prior request to IFAB and no consultation with the FIFA Council. It raises the same point on mandatory hydration breaks at all World Cup matches, described as a deviation from the existing rule.
On electoral integrity, the letter notes the official campaign period began on 30 April 2026, the date of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. UEFA asks which body besides the FIFA Electoral Committee oversees the process and what safeguards prevent misuse of FIFA resources. It states concerns about the independence and impartiality of the committee's chair, Mr Chiomento.
Further questions cover the president's use of private aircraft and accommodation costs, notably in Qatar and the United States, and request the complete guest list for the VIP and VVIP sections at the World Cup final, with names, positions and reasons for invitation.
The final section states that decisions, transactions and interventions involving the FIFA president, the President of the United States and individuals associated with him raise questions about conflicts of interest, transparency and institutional accountability.
What to watch next in the FIFA presidency race
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 would be a popular choice to take on Infantino, but FIFA's global football development chief has made no comment about a potential challenge.
FIFA has been contacted for comment. The two-week window set by Theodoridis is the next fixed point: a written response, or none, will decide whether these questions move from a letter into the formal business of the Council.
The original report was published by skysports.com.
