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Gianni Infantino: Uefa gives Fifa deadline to release key documents

Uefa has posed a great number of questions about FFE.

“When was the idea of FFE first explored, by whom and with what objective?” Uefa asked. “Who within Fifa authorised the development of the project, and which members of the Fifa administration were involved?

“What concrete measures will Fifa put in place to ensure that the shortcomings identified in the FFE process cannot occur again in the future?”

Uefa requested information on whether Infantino would have held or expected to hold any position, role or function in FFE, either during or following his tenure as Fifa president.

The relationship with Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital was covered in detail, asking why an agreement granting exclusivity to the company was signed without prior consultation of the Fifa Council.

“Why was Thrive Capital selected as lead investor, without any competitive tendering process and under conditions of strict confidentiality, despite its links to the family of the recipient of the Fifa Peace Prize?” Uefa asked.

Kushner is the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, while the US president was awarded the Peace Prize.

Uefa also requested answer about the award of the Peace Prize, specifically who decided to establish it, for what purpose, and who decided that Trump should receive it.

When the FFE plan was revealed in the days following the World Cup final, Infantino told the 211 member associations (MAs) they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed it. He then set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept his plans if they wanted to access an initial $20m (£15m).

However, once the scheme was abandoned, Uefa and Concacaf called on Fifa to pay at least $10m (£7.5m) from its cash reserves to each of the MAs and, last week, Infantino agreed, proposing to increase the amount of money handed out for football development across the world by $3.4bn (£2.6bn).

The releasing of cash from its reserves will result in double the level of planned distribution funding for MAs from 2027 to 2030, with $25m (£19m) available per member association.

“Why was substantially increased funding for MAs presented in connection with FFE and external investment, rather than being financed directly from Fifa’s own resources?” Uefa has asked.

“Given Fifa’s strong financial position, why was it considered necessary to seek investment from private investors? What financial or strategic advantages would such an arrangement have offered compared with funding football development directly from Fifa’s own resources, particularly in light of Fifa’s subsequent proposal to do precisely that on a substantially increased scale?”

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Rui Pinto: Hacker who released Man City documents fears for life as he prepares to lose witness protection

Pinto became part of Portugal’s witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to co-operate with authorities and provide files obtained through the Football Leaks operation.

He posted on X on Friday, external that the decision to terminate his participation in the programme on 10 October has put him in a “life-threatening situation”.

The 37-year-old said it had left him with no alternative but to relocate to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period because of “multiple death threats” and “the serious risk of an assassination attempt”.

BBC Sport has approached the Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crimes in Portugal for comment.

Pinto has described himself as a whistleblower, but was convicted in Portugal of offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion and given a four-year suspended sentence.

He wore a bulletproof vest during his first trial in 2020, which was also subject to heightened security measures.

Earlier this year, he was acquitted in a second trial of 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to a number of sports bodies in Portugal, including Benfica.

On Wednesday, Pinto turned his attention to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, saying he had “become a cancer on football” and should “have no place in the future of the game”.

Pinto repeated allegations from 2018 that Infantino intervened to help City and Paris St-Germain avoid financial fair play sanctions from European football’s governing body Uefa.

Infantino’s position has recently come under increased pressure following controversial plans to sell stakes in the governing body’s competitions, such as the World Cup, to private investors.

A statement from Pinto’s lawyers released on Friday said the decision to end his participation in the witness protection programme left him at heightened risk, noting legal proceedings stemming from the leaks remained ongoing, including the case against Manchester City.

Pinto has set up a fundraising page to help him “survive this serious situation”, which he claims was “created by the Portuguese State”.

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