Fifa president Gianni Infantino has left a request from a United States congressional committee unanswered for more than a month, deepening scrutiny over his leadership at a time when the governing body is already grappling with several controversies.
According to reports, Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin, the ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to Infantino on 26 July to inform him that lawmakers were opening an inquiry into what he described as a deliberate effort by Fifa to ingratiate itself with President Donald Trump. Raskin's letter alleged that this included the dropping of significant corruption cases and criticized Fifa for charging what he called excessive ticket prices to American fans for this summer's World Cup.
Infantino was given until 9 August to respond, hand over relevant documents, and schedule an interview with the committee. No reply has been received, and because Raskin's committee did not issue a subpoena, the Fifa president faces no legal consequences for the silence.
The unanswered letter is just one of several pressures mounting on Infantino. Days after Raskin's request was sent, reports emerged detailing his intention to bring in private investors for a new venture called Fifa Forward Enterprise, designed to oversee commercial and operational functions of the World Cup and other Fifa competitions. The plan was rejected by three continental confederations and ultimately withdrawn by Infantino on 1 August, but not before UEFA publicly declared it had lost confidence in his leadership. Infantino has since pledged an independent review of how the project was handled, though details on who will lead that review have not been disclosed.
UEFA, for its part, has demanded an external, independent investigation into the Fifa Forward Enterprise episode and is pursuing document disclosure through American courts, with the possibility of pursuing criminal complaints in Switzerland. On 10 August, the heads of the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf joined UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in issuing a joint letter accusing Infantino of engaging in deception over the failed venture.
Separately, the Belgian football federation is reportedly still pursuing legal action tied to the suspension of a one-match ban for United States forward Folarin Balogun, a decision that allowed him to feature in a World Cup last-16 match against Belgium in July.
Despite the wave of criticism, Infantino intends to seek re-election for another four-year term when voting takes place in March, and he remains the only declared candidate so far. UEFA has said it intends to help field a credible rival before the 18 November candidacy deadline.
Infantino has continued to draw support in parts of the world even as major confederations turn against him. He recently held talks with football officials from Kuwait and Iraq, adding to backing already expressed by associations in Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Within Concacaf, Mexico, Grenada, and St Kitts and Nevis have also indicated their support for him, breaking from the confederation's collective stance.
Adding to the busy agenda, Fifa is due to receive a feasibility study on potentially expanding the World Cup to 64 teams. A leaked planning document reportedly called for an agency to be appointed by 14 August, with a completed analysis expected by 11 September. Fifa has not commented publicly on the study, though the idea of enlarging the 2030 edition already has support from South America's governing body, Conmebol. That tournament is currently set to open with three matches hosted individually by Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, before the bulk of the competition shifts to Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Based on reporting from The Independent.