Debbie Hewitt, who is also the president of the English Football Association, requested documents regarding the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise project and sought explanations for the suspended sanction against Folarin Balogun during the World Cup
The forward had been sent off in the United States' 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 16 and, initially, was supposed to miss the next match. However, FIFA decided to temporarily suspend the punishment, allowing Balogun to play in the round of 16 against Belgium.
The differences within FIFA have once again been exposed, and this time the protagonist was a member of the organization's own leadership. Debbie Hewitt, president of the English Football Association (FA) and vice president of the entity, demanded from Gianni Infantino greater transparency regarding two decisions that have generated questions in recent months.
The British leader sent a letter to the president of the international football governing body and to the secretary general Mattias Grafström requesting that all documents related to the canceled FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project be published, which aimed to modify the management of commercial rights and ticket sales for the organization's main competitions, including the World Cup.
The initiative envisioned the creation of a new company to manage those assets and also included the incorporation of private capital through the sale of a 21% stake. However, the project was withdrawn after facing resistance from various federations and confederations.
In this context, Hewitt requested that the documentation related to FFE be made available before the next FIFA Council meeting, scheduled for October 15. Additionally, her request also included another episode that raised questions within the English Federation: the suspension of the sanction that the American Folarin Balogun was supposed to serve during the 2026 World Cup.
The organization justified the measure based on a regulation that allows for the provisional suspension of a sanction. Not satisfied with this explanation, Hewitt demanded to see the documents related to the procedure and the reasons that led to that decision.
Despite the growing criticisms of his leadership at FIFA, Gianni Infantino remains intent on seeking a new term in the elections scheduled for March 18, 2027, which will take place at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
Although several federations have already withdrawn their support for his candidacy, especially those linked to UEFA, the Swiss still retains backing from other confederations and national associations, and, at least for now he is the only confirmed candidate for the upcoming elections.
