FA chair demands FIFA president release World Cup sell-off documents

The head of English football has formally demanded that FIFA president Gianni Infantino hand over all documents related to the now-scrapped plan to sell off the organization’s commercial rights through a controversial subsidiary. FA chair Debbie Hewitt, who also holds a FIFA vice-presidency, sent the letter around 17 September 2026, setting the stage for a confrontation at the FIFA Council meeting scheduled for 15 October. The dispute centers on the FIFA Forward Enterprise, a proposal that would have created a new entity to manage FIFA’s commercial rights and ticketing operations. The plan sought to raise $4.2B by selling a 21% stake in the subsidiary, which carried an estimated total valuation of $20B. Infantino formally killed the proposal at the end of July after it triggered a revolt across European football, but the fallout is far from over. A plan that lasted barely a month The FFE proposal surfaced in late July 2026 and was dead by early August. The concept was straightforward in theory: bundle FIFA’s commercial assets into a standalone company, sell a minority stake to outside investors, and use the cash infusion to fund global football development. Each member association ...