Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to make public all documents about FIFA's controversial plan to sell a share in the World Cup's commercial rights.
On Thursday, BBC Sport reported that Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, made this request in a letter to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.
She asked the FIFA Council to receive a written explanation about the decision to suspend the one-match ban given to United States forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.
Hewitt wants these documents available before the next FIFA Council meeting, which is set for 15 October.
The letter highlights concerns about governance and what Hewitt called a breakdown in culture within FIFA.
Infantino has been under increasing scrutiny over the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
This plan intended to create a new company to handle the commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
The proposal would have sold a 21% stake in this new company to a private investment firm.
Eventually, this plan was dropped after strong opposition from national football associations.
Hewitt has called for an independent review into how the FFE proposal was created, who was involved, and how the private investment opportunity was tendered.
The controversy has led to a public dispute between FIFA and UEFA.
UEFA is preparing legal action in three US courts over the FFE plan and has demanded the release of related documents.
FIFA has dismissed the criticism, accusing UEFA of running a “smear campaign” against Infantino and the leadership.
Infantino, 56, is looking to secure a fourth term as FIFA president in March. Potential challengers have until 18 November to propose an alternative candidate.
The Football Association had already expressed concerns about how Balogun's suspension was managed during the World Cup.
Balogun received a straight red card for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic during the US team's 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32.
This red card automatically meant a one-match suspension, so Balogun was expected to miss the last-16 match against Belgium.
However, FIFA announced that the suspension would be put on hold for one year, allowing the striker to play in the game.
FIFA cited a rule that allows for disciplinary sanctions to be suspended but did not explain why in detail.
The FA requested documents related to this decision and raised concerns about possible political influence.
United States President Donald Trump later stated that he had reached out to Infantino to ask for a review of Balogun’s ban.
This incident raised more concerns within the FA about FIFA’s decision-making and governance.
The Balogun matter was followed by the FFE proposal, which further strained FIFA's relationship with several national associations.
UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation accused FIFA and Infantino of eroding trust in the organization.
Several national associations, including England, Wales, and Scotland, have retracted their earlier support letters for Infantino’s re-election.
Despite this, Infantino still has strong backing from other parts of the football world, with confederations in Africa, South America, and Oceania reaffirming their support.
After the FFE plan was abandoned, Infantino met with the FIFA management board in Rabat, Morocco.
Yet, the FIFA Council has not received a full explanation of the controversial plan.
This is expected to change at the next council meeting on 15 October, where Infantino will answer questions from Hewitt and the other 35 members of FIFA’s governing council.
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