FA chief demands full Fifa probe into Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell plot & Donald Trump’s secret call to unban star

FA chair Debbie Hewitt wants Gianni Infantino to release all the documents concerning his radical plan to flog stakes in the World Cup. Hewitt, 63, wrote a letter to the Fifa president this week and it was also sent to the governing body’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. FA chair Debbie Hewitt wants an independent probe on Fifa president Gianni Infantino Credit: Reuters Hewitt wants an investigation over Infantino’s plans to sell World Cup stakes and the Folarin Balogun scandal Credit: 2023 PA Media The Fifa Council are due to meet next month and Hewitt believes all members should have the files relating to Infantino’s scheme before then. She has also called for an explanation over the decision to suspend USA striker Folarin Balogun’s ban at this summer’s World Cup. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Balogun was due to miss the last-16 tie with Belgium after being sent off in the previous round against Bosnia-Herzegovina. But, following a call from president Donald Trump, the ban was suspended for a year and the striker was able to play. Infantino’s plan to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors was revealed after the tournament and sparked outrage. The proposals have now been scrapped but Hewitt, who is a Fifa vice-president, believes there should be an independent review Infantino, 56, has remained defiant during the backlash and confirmed he plans to stand for re-election next March. But the leaking of the sell-off idea – dropped amid the worldwide condemnation – saw opponents, led by Uefa, gather their forces. Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Uefa threatened to withdraw from all future Fifa tournaments unless Infantino quit – although that idea was pulled back in August after the governing body gave a commitment that there would be no return to the project. Even so, Uefa, Asia and the North and Central American confederation Concacaf launched legal proceedings alleging Infantino’s effective £15billion valuation of the tournament would have amounted to fraud. The three confederations want Swiss authorities to intervene but also lodged legal suits demanding “disclosure” of documents in three US states – New York, Florida and Colorado. And a number of national bodies, including the FA, have officially withdrawn their letters of support for Infantino. Comment now