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FIFA issues response to backlash as more confederations reject World Cup sell-off plan

By AsiaEurope


FIFA issues a response to the backlash as more confederations reject the World Cup sell-off plan following an emergency meeting.

It was held on Thursday afternoon with all UEFA countries becoming the first to unanimously support a boycott, in protest at FIFA’s plan to sell stakes in tournament to private investors.

CONCACAF – the football confederation for teams in North America, Central America and the Caribbean – also had an emergency meeting and its 41 nations also rejected FIFA’s sell-off proposal.

The Asian Football Confederation’s statement says “The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA’s proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA’s flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE. The fact that the situation has reached the point
where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position.”

CONCACAF’S STATEMENT:

(as per their website)

Statement on behalf of Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations

Concacaf is a confederation united by the love of our game, where football comes first. Guided by this philosophy over the past ten years we have built, from the ground up, an organization founded on service, transparent governance, and the long-term stewardship of football.

History has shown FIFA and the football family what happens when the custodians of the game lose sight of these values.

With this in mind, Concacaf today convened a meeting of the presidents of its 41 Member Associations, together with its President, Council members, and its FIFA Council members, to discuss a proposal developed and presented by the FIFA President to establish ‘FIFA Forward Enterprise’ and sell interests in the FIFA World Cup to private investors.

During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies. In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned.

The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.

For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations have:

Rejected the proposal;

– Tasked their FIFA Council Members with engaging FIFA to determine how existing vast FIFA reserves could be used to increase FIFA Forward funding for football development across our region; and

– Tasked their FIFA Council Members with instructing the FIFA President to ensure that any matter follows the proper governance processes via staff and FIFA Council, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.

Through these actions, Concacaf reaffirms that football’s future—and its greatest asset—must remain in the hands of our football family.

FIFA’S RESPONSE:

(as per their website)

– FIFA acknowledges and respects feedback and concern aired in public
– FIFA reaffirms its commitment to an open and democratic consultation
– Erroneous reporting in the media disrupted planned consultation process

We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday.

We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.

⁠Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA has the ability to express its vote based on facts.

FFE has been proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries, and that this does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself.

Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.

Everyone has the right to express their opposition and to seek further clarification but no single entity can claim to represent all 211 MAs around the world. Each MA should be allowed to review the proposal and have a say in shaping their own future. These are the democratic principles of FIFA.

As per the proposal:

FFE would move FIFA’s commercial and operational event delivery activities into a subsidiary organisation that FIFA would own and control permanently.

⁠The commercial value created would be shared among all 211 MAs, enabling each MA to make meaningful investments in football in their respective countries.

⁠Under the proposal, each MA would receive USD 20 million of FIFA Forward Development funding over the next four years (2027-2030), irrespective of its individual support.

⁠This increased funding would come from the additional revenues generated by FFE through the more effective management of FIFA’s commercial operations, for the benefit of all MAs.

⁠The FIFA Fast Forward Programme is a one-off development funding of an additional USD 20 million per MA – participation would be fully voluntary for all MAs should the FFE proposal proceed – and would be financed by external investment without ceding control or altering FIFA’s governance structure in any way.

⁠Without the support of the majority of MAs, FIFA’s commercial activities would remain unchanged. FFE would not be established.

These components represent the starting point of the consultation process and are open for discussion as part of that process. This can include approval, rejection or amendment in their entirety or individually.

These principles underpin the FFE proposal: unprecedented development funding, truly global ownership of the commercial opportunities of our sport, and full self-determination through a democratic process for all MAs.

Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol gave his thoughts on this latest development:

“It is a desperate, tone-deaf statement that was issued in the middle of the night from FIFA’s Zurich bunker. It’s very interesting that it doesn’t mention their president by name.

“The way I read this is that this is a statement from Gianni Infantino; it’s not necessarily a FIFA statement. How many people inside FIFA actually agree with what he is doing?

“He’s in a hole and he needs to stop digging. He needs to start reading the room. He needs to start accepting the fact his power is starting to ebb away and he needs to start by apologising to football, to football fans all around the world – and he also needs to start apologising and explain himself to the confederations and the presidents of the 211 member associations.

“And he needs to stop blaming the media. What is this crazy obsession he’s got? He seems to have picked it up from President Donald Trump, where he thinks it’s a good idea to keep lashing out at the media. He seems to somehow think that is going to help him.

“The reporting that has been done this week, which was led by The Times and the Financial Times has been completely and utterly accurate. And if it wasn’t for this reporting, there wouldn’t be this furore that we have now and we wouldn’t know the facts we know now.

“I suggest Infantino needs to change course. He needs to wake up and fully understand the mess he has created for himself and he needs to start saying sorry because I think that’s the only way he’s going to be able to save himself.”

He added: “Infantino has been in plenty of tight spots and he has managed to extricate from them. But I think he’s in big, big trouble now. I think this is the biggest crisis he’s faced – and it’s all of his own making.

“The best way for him to survive, he seems to think, is to pretend this is all just a democratic process, what’s happening now is just a consultation, the 211 FAs can decide whether to go ahead with this plan, and if they don’t, no problem at all, it’s all been a storm in a teacup.

“Other people, I think, would advise him to come out and say sorry, then lie low for a while, maybe ride it out and maybe he could be re-elected as FIFA president unopposed next March, but that doesn’t seem to be what he’s doing.

“I’m not sure he can carry on down this road of blaming the media and carrying on with the consultation process. I’m not sure he understands the strength of feeling against him – not just over this, but over lots of things he’s done since he’s been FIFA president.”

UEFA and its 55 National Associations announce boycott of all FIFA competitions

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