FIFA council members have been invited to inspect documents concerning FIFA Forward Enterprise at the organisation's Zurich headquarters, The Guardian reported. A letter from secretary general Mattias Grafström sets November 16 as the deadline to request a visit, with access subject to strict confidentiality arrangements.
Inspection offer leaves scope unclear
Members will be able to view material in person. The Guardian said the precise nature and extent of the available documents remained uncertain, leaving open whether an inspection would answer the questions raised about the scheme.
The application deadline falls two days before prospective candidates must declare for next year's FIFA election. The inspection process and the election timetable are separate developments, although their timing provides context for the invitation.
UEFA had requested access to all Forward Enterprise documentation and wanted individual explanations for any refusal to supply material.
Governance questions remain outstanding
In an October 19 letter, UEFA gave FIFA two weeks to address more than 50 questions. They covered Forward Enterprise, the Folarin Balogun affair, FIFA's peace prize, its relationship with Donald Trump and other contested decisions.
The Guardian reported that no direct response had arrived by the deadline. Council members were told a reply was being prepared, while FIFA considered the volume of questions too substantial for that turnaround.
UEFA has also sought documents through applications to four US courts, with a possible financial-mismanagement complaint in Switzerland in view. Preliminary rulings had not been issued in the account reviewed. FIFA denies wrongdoing by Gianni Infantino.
The next substantive developments are the promised response and the actual extent of disclosure in Zurich. An offer to inspect documents does not establish the outcome of those questions or of any legal proceedings.