Demand for answers! FA chair Hewitt orders Infantino to release files on World Cup sale plan and Balogun controversy

According to BBC Sport, the Football Association has ramped up the pressure on FIFA president Infantino, with Hewitt demanding a full disclosure of documents ahead of the next FIFA Council meeting on October 15. In a letter also addressed to secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, Hewitt highlighted what she described as failures in governance and a fundamental breakdown in culture within the world governing body.

At the heart of the dispute is the now-aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which sought to revolutionise how the organisation manages its most lucrative assets. The plan involved creating a new company to handle commercial and ticketing rights for all major competitions, including the World Cup, with a 21% stake being sold off to a private investment company.

Beyond commercial matters, the FA is seeking clarity on the controversial decision to overturn a suspension for United States forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. The 25-year-old striker had been shown a straight red card for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic during a 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32, but was unexpectedly cleared to feature in the round of 16 clash against Belgium rather than serving his automatic one-match ban.

The FA had initially backed Infantino's re-election campaign, but the Balogun saga raised serious alarms over potential political interference - especially after US President Donald Trump admitted to personally phoning the FIFA chief to lobby for a review. FIFA offered little explanation for the sudden U-turn beyond pointing to a clause that permits suspensions to be put on hold, leaving national associations demanding answers.

The fallout from the FFE proposal has sparked severe legal action, with UEFA launching criminal proceedings against Infantino across three US courts while demanding full disclosure of all related documents. The move follows an open letter from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation, which accused FIFA and its president of a breach of trust driven by deception.

FIFA has fired back against the allegations, accusing UEFA of mounting a 'smear campaign' against the governing body and its leadership. Despite Zurich's defensive posture, pressure on Infantino is rapidly escalating, with the English, Welsh, and Scottish associations among several that have formally revoked their backing for his re-election campaign.

The 56-year-old is set to seek a fourth term in office next March, with potential challengers facing an 18 November deadline to put forward a candidate. Despite bleeding support across Europe and North America, Infantino retains a formidable global power base, backed by firm endorsements from the African, South American, and Oceanian confederations.