FIFA president Gianni Infantino faced more than three hours of questioning from his fellow board members in Zurich on Thursday, at the first meeting of world football's governing body since his plan to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors was abandoned, according to Dagens Nyheter.
The Swiss official apologised for failing to bring the business proposal to the FIFA Council before it became public in the late summer, a step that is normally taken before such plans are made official.
The proposal would have involved selling off portions of the World Cup through a company that was to be called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). That plan has now been scrapped.
Why it matters
The meeting was the first chance for the FIFA Council to press Infantino directly on a plan that drew heavy criticism before it was shelved. The fallout now extends beyond the proposal itself: senior figures in European football say they no longer have confidence in Infantino's leadership, and four continental confederations have signalled they want a change at the top.
With a FIFA congress set for Morocco in March, the question of whether Infantino faces a challenger is now the central one in the sport's governance.
European officials say trust is not restored
Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English Football Association and one of several FIFA vice-presidents, said the session had not settled the concerns she and others brought into the room.
"Nothing has changed," Hewitt said, according to Dagens Nyheter.
She said one of the frustrations was that the board received no answers to specific requests, including a demand to see documents relating to FFE.
"I asked the question 'why not?', and we were asked to submit those questions in writing," Hewitt said, in remarks carried by the BBC.
She added that if the documents are not produced, Infantino is not fit to hold the presidency, and said that position was put forward during the meeting.
Hewitt also said she had come away with no new information that would shift her view, apart from the fact that the board now has a president who has expressed regret.
Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German football association, was equally direct about where he stands.
"I am clear that this is not possible with Gianni as the top leader of FIFA. We have to make a complete restart. We also have to have a political restart of those who represent FIFA," Neuendorf said, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
The confederations of Europe, Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean have all called for new leadership. No opposing candidate has yet been put forward ahead of the March congress in Morocco.
Questions beyond the investment plan
Infantino also took questions on other controversies during the session, Dagens Nyheter reports.
One concerned the peace prize he established last autumn and awarded in December to US president Donald Trump. Another concerned the case of American striker Florian Balogun, whose suspension was lifted in the middle of the World Cup.
Both matters were raised alongside the abandoned investment plan as points of contention for the president.
Support holds in parts of the football world
Infantino retains backing in other regions. Africa, which holds 54 member associations within FIFA, remains a base of support.
"I am sure that Gianni Infantino is the right president. The majority want him to stay," said Ahmed Yahya, president of the Mauritanian football federation and one of 37 members of the FIFA Council, according to NRK.
That divide — between a European-led push for a change of leadership and continued support from African federations and elsewhere — shapes the contest ahead of the congress.
What to watch
No rival candidate has emerged yet, and the March congress in Morocco will be the next point at which the balance of support inside FIFA becomes clear. Whether Infantino releases the FFE documents Hewitt and others requested is the immediate test European officials have set.
