Sponsors of world football’s governing body should not mistake their public silence for apathy, the head of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) said on Tuesday. Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, the organisation’s co-founder and global CEO, told the PA news agency that how FIFA handles its two live controversies will define its credibility.

“The eyes of the world are on Fifa and the way this situation will be addressed and resolved,” Macedo de Medeiros said.

Medeiros noted that major brands had been quieter than they were during the 2015 Fifagate scandal, but argued that chief executives still answer to shareholders, and shareholders dislike seeing their names attached to controversy. Fans, he added, should not be taken for granted either, and he said he would “not be surprised” to see increasing protests across European cities if nothing changes.

The FFE plan and the Balogun reversal

FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan would have handed a minority stake in the commercial arm of the World Cup to private investors. Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, was granted exclusivity in talks that put a reported $20bn valuation on the vehicle. The project was scrapped at the end of July after three continental confederations rejected it and UEFA threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions.

Read also: Tom Brady leaves Birmingham City role with club top of Championship and no explanation given

UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis then wrote to his FIFA counterpart Mattias Grafström on 19 October with 42 questions covering both the FFE process and the Balogun case, in which the US forward’s automatic one-match ban for a red card before the Round of 16 tie with Belgium was set aside after US President Donald Trump telephoned Infantino.

FIFA responded this month by agreeing to let the 37 Council members view “key documents” on the FFE scheme in person at its Zurich headquarters, under strict confidentiality protocols and a two-week registration window. The files will not be made public.

SIGA’s five conditions

Medeiros told PA that internal structures and task forces will not restore trust, and that only outside scrutiny can.

SIGA has already set out what it wants that scrutiny to look like. In a public statement in September, the alliance set five conditions for a credible review: an independently appointed reviewer with sports governance expertise, a comprehensive mandate covering strategic decisions and checks and balances, full access to records, published terms of reference, funding and methodology, and a binding commitment to act on the findings.

Read also: Matthäus turns Hoeneß’s Musiala argument against him with bold Olise statement

“Independence cannot be declared; it must be guaranteed, through the way the reviewer is selected, the mandate it receives, the access it is given, the standards it applies and the transparency of its findings,” Medeiros said in that statement.

Back in July, SIGA had also called on FIFA to clarify how disciplinary discretion is exercised under Article 27 of its code, after the Balogun ruling.

Rabat vote looms in March

UEFA has signalled it will not back Infantino’s re-election bid at the FIFA Congress in Rabat on 18 March 2027. Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who has served as FIFA’s chief of global football development since 2019, is considering standing against him, according to the PA news agency, though a decision has not been made. Japan’s Kozo Tashima has already announced a candidacy.

Council members have until later this month to register for the Zurich reading room.

Read also: Cucurella backs Real Madrid as Europe’s best and names Arda Guler ahead of Mbappé

Read also: Barcelona spot opportunity at Bayern Munich – but their plan hits a wall