In a letter sent on Monday to the FIFA Council and the presidents of all 211 member associations, Infantino proposed two steps ahead of the next Council meeting on 15 October.
“First, I will ask the Council whether it wishes to commission an independent external review of FIFA’s current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and recommend potential improvements,” he wrote.
He also said he would propose a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, member associations and other stakeholders on how FIFA’s decision-making can be strengthened.
The consultation would invite specific proposals on earlier institutional involvement, the respective roles of the president, the bureau, the Council and the Congress, and practical ways to improve transparency, participation and accountability.
The letter follows fierce backlash over Infantino’s plan to sell a minority stake — reported as around 20 per cent — in FIFA’s commercial rights, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, to private investors through a new subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The proposal was abandoned in July after opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation and numerous national associations, some of which threatened boycotts of FIFA competitions.
Infantino said the plan had been intended to raise additional money for football development and would not have involved giving up control over sporting decisions. He accepted, however, that it became public before it could be presented in full.
“I recognise that, without the full context, this caused concern and created the impression that decisions had already been taken. They had not,” he wrote. “It remained a proposal, not a decision… It has now been withdrawn and will not proceed.”
He added that FIFA’s democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale.
Suggestions received by the October Council meeting could be discussed there. Any changes to FIFA’s statutes would still require Congress approval.
Infantino also insisted that no member association’s treatment would depend on its position on any proposal. “I remain fully committed to leading FIFA and confident in what we can achieve together.”
The move comes days after UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani wrote to Infantino demanding that FIFA distribute at least $10 million to every member association from its reserves, which are projected to reach around $6 billion by the end of the current cycle. That demand is expected to be tabled at the same October meeting.
Infantino, first elected in 2016, continues to face pressure over both the failed commercial plan and wider questions about FIFA’s governance.