FIFA Council members, Africa's representatives among them, will get a look at confidential papers behind Infantino's shelved plan to sell World Cup stakes.
For African football, this one is about who gets a say in the game's biggest asset. FIFA has told its Council that members will be allowed to view some confidential documents tied to president Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Federations across the continent depend on FIFA's money and decisions, so how the tournament is owned and run matters to them.
The proposal would have brought outside private money into one of the most valuable properties in world sport. It never got off the ground, but questions about how it was shaped and who knew what have not gone away. Council members will now see part of the paper trail for themselves.
The word to watch is "some." FIFA has said access will cover certain documents, not everything, and it has not made clear how much detail they will contain. That leaves room for debate over whether this is real openness or a controlled peek behind the curtain.
For African member associations, the World Cup is a major source of development funding, and the continent's growing slate of qualification spots makes the tournament more important to it every cycle. Any future attempt to bring private capital into the competition could affect revenue, influence and the balance of power inside FIFA. Africa's voices on the Council now have a chance to read the details and ask hard questions before any such idea returns.
