Infantino apologises to Fifa Council - but told he's still not fit to lead

Key points

• Gianni Infantino apologised to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan but was told he is not fit to lead unless he releases all documents and answers key questions.
• The Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt said the council did not receive answers to its specific requests, including the papers from FFE.
• Infantino will stand for re-election in March, and Uefa has prepared criminal legal proceedings against him and lodged a claim in three US courts for FFE documents.

Gianni Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council for his World Cup sell-off plan, but has been told he is not fit to lead unless he releases all documents and answers key questions. The Council met in Zurich on Thursday for the first time since Infantino's secret Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal emerged. Under FFE, which Infantino scrapped within days, a portion of the commercial rights of football's world governing body would have been given to a private investment firm.

During the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Infantino also faced questions about US striker Folarin Balogun's suspended red-card ban, the Fifa Peace Prize and funding for national associations.

What officials said

Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, said afterwards that many questions remained unanswered. "One of the disappointing things is that we didn't get answers to anything that we had specifically requested - for example getting the papers from FFE," Hewitt said. She added that when she asked why, the council was asked to submit those questions in writing.

Hewitt said Infantino must answer those questions and if he does not, he is not fit to be Fifa president. She acknowledged there had been "some contrition" in his apology. "What he really apologised for was not bringing it to the council," she added.

One of the disappointing things is that we didn't get answers to anything that we had specifically requested - for example getting the papers from FFE

— Debbie Hewitt

Uefa pressure and election

Uefa, European football's governing body, has been one of Infantino's fiercest critics and has repeatedly called on him to stand down. It has prepared criminal legal proceedings against Infantino and lodged a claim in three US courts for all documents related to FFE to be released. Asked if Uefa's stance had changed, Hewitt said nothing had shifted from her position.

Infantino will stand for re-election as Fifa president for a third time in March, and as yet no credible candidate has emerged to challenge the Swiss-Italian. Former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega has said he intends to run, but it appears unlikely he will get the five letters of support needed. Senior figures within European football have told BBC Sport they want former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to run, but it is unclear whether he would be prepared to give up his position as Fifa's global head of football development.

Hewitt accepted Uefa and Infantino's other opponents must find someone to put their name on the ballot before the deadline of 18 November. She also indicated it would be important for the president to have a rival after being re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. "I think it's important to Gianni to have somebody who stands with a different manifesto, and good for Fifa to have that choice," Hewitt added.