By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for a review of the way major decisions are made within football’s global governing body.

Infantino has written to the FIFA Council and the presidents of all 211 member associations, expressing his willingness to consider reforms to FIFA’s governance structure.According to reports by The Athletic, the FIFA president wants the issue to be discussed at the FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15. He is proposing that the council request an independent assessment of FIFA’s existing governance arrangements.Infantino also wants FIFA to hold consultations with its member associations and other relevant stakeholders to examine possible changes to the organisation’s decision-making processes.The proposed discussions would include the responsibilities and roles of the FIFA president, the FIFA Council and the FIFA Congress. Infantino is also seeking greater transparency and broader participation when major decisions affecting the organisation are being considered.

FIFA Forward Enterprise controversy

The proposed reforms come after months of controversy surrounding FIFA’s Forward Enterprise plan.Under the proposal, FIFA had considered selling a 20 percent stake in some of its commercial and organisational activities to outside investors for approximately $4.2 billion.The plan attracted significant attention and criticism before FIFA eventually withdrew it. The proposal was pulled before it could be formally presented to the FIFA Council and the organisation’s member associations.Infantino has stressed that the Forward Enterprise plan was only a proposal and that FIFA had not reached a final decision on it.However, the controversy appears to have reinforced his view that major initiatives within FIFA need to go through a decision-making process that commands confidence among the organisation’s stakeholders.In his letter, Infantino argued that ambitious proposals should be developed, evaluated and communicated through institutions with clear and dependable procedures.The FIFA president’s call for an independent assessment therefore represents an attempt to examine whether the organisation’s current governance system is capable of handling major decisions in a way that earns broad confidence.

Infantino plans to seek another term

Despite the criticism surrounding FIFA’s recent governance issues, Infantino is preparing to seek another term as president.The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March, and Infantino is currently the only candidate who has announced his intention to contest the position.Other potential candidates have until November 18 to submit their nominations.The proposed governance review could therefore become an important issue ahead of the election, particularly as FIFA considers how its leadership structure and decision-making processes should operate in the future.