Gianni Infantino: Fifa president open to reform and external review of football's governing body

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has proposed an external review of how world football's governing body operates, and says he is open to reform.

Before a meeting of the Council next month, Infantino says he is also suggesting a consultation on "how Fifa's decision-making can be further strengthened".

Infantino has come under increasing pressure over his aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. That would have involved selling stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors, and it sparked a major backlash.

He insists that the FFE plan "did not involve relinquishing Fifa's control or authority over sporting decisions. Obviously!"

Infantino also claims that "democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale. They are not for sale and never will be."

Infantino's letter comes after Uefa and Concacaf - the confederations for Europe and North America, Central America and the Caribbean - demanded Fifa pays $10m to all 211 members from its cash reserves.

Infantino claims that the collapse of FFE "does not diminish our ambition or our responsibility to invest more of Fifa's success back into football.

"What changes is not the ambition, but the strength of the process through which major ideas are developed, tested and decided.

Earlier this month, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, told Infantino to release all documents relating to his controversial plan, and called for an independent review of FFE.

Last month, European football's governing body Uefa began preparing criminal legal proceedings against Infantino at courts in the US over the FFE plan, demanding the release of all documents.

Having defiantly clung to power for weeks amid an unprecedented rebellion over his presidency, this is a significant change in tone from Infantino - and the first sign that he may feel he has no choice but to compromise if he is to win another re-election in March.

But even if he is prepared to accept some changes to the way Fifa is run, will that be enough to win over some of those that have turned against him? Much may depend on the precise terms of reference for the external review that Infantino has proposed. After all, Infantino has not yet agreed to a similar review into his FFE plan.