Infantino apologises to Fifa Council over World Cup sell-off but told he is not fit to lead

Infantino apologises, but questions remain

Fifa president 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 of the relevant documents and answers key questions.

The Fifa Council met in Zurich on Thursday for the first time since Infantino's secret Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal emerged and was scrapped. The plan would have handed a portion of the organisation's commercial rights to a private investment firm.

A three-and-a-half-hour meeting

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

Hewitt: 'He has to answer those questions'

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. "I asked the question 'why not?' - and we were asked to submit those questions in writing.

"I think the man has to answer those questions and if he doesn't answer those questions now, he's not fit to be Fifa president - and that was what was shared in the meeting."

Hewitt said Infantino's apology was really about not bringing the plan to the council. "If you regret it that deeply, share it with us," she said.

Uefa stance unchanged

Asked whether there had been any change in Uefa's stance on Infantino, Hewitt said: "From my position, nothing has shifted. I've no new information that makes me feel any differently, other than we do have a president who is apologetic."