Fifa says that “nobody is selling football” as it vowed to continue with the controversial plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.
Uefa – the body that governs European football and has 55 members – voted on Thursday to boycott World Cups if the plan proceeded.
Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and hosted this year’s World Cup, said its 41 member associations also “rejected” the proposal made by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Fifa oversees world football and Infantino would need 106 of its 211 members to vote in favour for the proposal to go through. Uefa and Concacaf members combined make up 90 of those votes – six Concacaf members are not Fifa members.
In a statement released on Friday, Fifa claimed the consultation process had been “disrupted by incorrect media reports”.
“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation,” the statement read.
“We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA (member association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts.
“Nobody is selling football. This is not something Fifa would ever entertain.”
What are Infantino’s plans?
Fifa wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.
It said it would “invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments” in a new subsidiary – Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).
In a 25-page document created by investment bank JP Morgan, it is made clear that Fifa’s tournaments will expand to hit an estimated increased pay-out of 24m euros per member association in the 2035-2039 cycle.
It mentions “new business initiatives” and “attracting top talent with incentive-driven compensation”.
The World Cup is described in it as the “most widely viewed” sporting event but Fifa, by contrast, is said to be “under-monetised”.
There is no mention in the document of the women’s game.
On Friday, Fifa said FFE had been proposed “to ensure all Fifa member associations have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries”.
“This does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of Fifa or football itself,” it added.
Infantino previously wrote to Fifa members saying they will receive $40m (£30m) if they back his controversial proposal. He set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept his plans if they want to access an initial $20m (£15m).
However, Uefa has accused Fifa of using football “to enrich themselves and their friends”.
If approval is granted, Fifa says Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.
Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner – the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared.
What did Uefa and Concacaf say?
Uefa and Concacaf have led the opposition to Infantino’s plan.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product,” Uefa’s statement on Thursday read.
“It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent.
“No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.”
Concacaf said its members “expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal” and the “artificially short deadline imposed”.
It also questioned the need for private investment after what Fifa claimed was the most profitable World Cup in history.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said that it is “deeply concerned that Fifa’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football”.
The AFC also said it was “unacceptable” that it had not been consulted before the proposal was publicly announced, nor provided with “detailed governance, financial or legal analysis”.
The governing body overseeing football in South America, Conmebol, is yet to publicly comment on the proposals. The governing bodies in Africa (CAF) and Oceania (OFC) have said they will discuss Fifa’s plan in August.
Chelsea manager and 2010 World Cup winner Xabi Alonso was asked about the situation during his side’s pre-season tour of Australia.
“I think that football has to be for the people, not in private hands and I think that the way we love it is this way and we have seen a great World Cup and it’s good to defend the interests of all the people,” he said.
“Hopefully it won’t happen and we will do it – we will keep the game as attractive and as authentic as we like it and that’s why it creates these emotions, these passions.”
What happens now?
It feels as though no-one who matters knows how this situation is going to play out just yet.
“Not sure the detail was considered when deciding the overall policy,” was the response from a senior European football source when asked what this decision means for the U20 Women’s World Cup, starting on 5 September, being hosted by Poland and featuring plenty of European nations.
Uefa’s boycott threat will be activated if Infantino’s funding deal is accepted.
Given 19 September is the deadline for countries to accept Fifa’s deal and bank $20m (£15m) on 1 January, in theory, countries could be pulling out of that tournament in the middle of the quarter-finals and before the semis.
After that, the next senior matches in a Fifa competition are the Women’s World Cup play-offs in October, which feature England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland among others.
Infantino became Fifa president in 2016 when he beat Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa by 115 votes to 88. The Swiss is due to stand for a fourth term in March.
Prior to this week, it had been anticipated he would be re-elected unopposed. FAs around the world, including some in Europe, have already confirmed their intention to support the 56-year-old.
But sources say in addition to rejecting Infantino’s plan, the vast majority of the Concacaf members are either losing faith in the Fifa president’s ability to govern the game, or have lost it altogether.
Do ‘smaller’ nations need more support?
While Uefa members are among the richest on the planet, many nations elsewhere rely on Fifa funding for basic infrastructure.
“There are the aspirations and needs of small nations, but you’ve also got large nations who have the power,” former Football Association chief executive Mark Palios told BBC Breakfast.
“It’s not dissimilar to the attempts to form a European Super League. On one end you’ve got the people who create the cash, but on the other end you still need competition.”
Rogers Byamukama of the Ugandan Football Federation argued that any avenue that could lead to more resources for nations like his should be explored.
“First and foremost, you need to understand that football is a very expensive venture, especially on the African continent where the resources are not easy to come by,” he told Newsday on BBC World Service.
“For instance in Uganda, the number of infrastructure projects that have been funded by Fifa from the resources generated by Fifa, especially at the World Cup, both from ticket sales as well as sponsors.
“On top of that, there are many grassroot programmes that have been funded by Fifa, including schools for football.
“From my perspective, any avenue that brings in more resources is good because those resources would be distributed and given to federations, especially on the African continent and that would inspire growth.”
Byamukama acknowledged Uefa’s right to speak out, but suggested that its members are not reliant on Fifa funding like many associations in the rest of the world where Infantino remains popular.
In the first two cycles of the Fifa Forward development programme, through to 2022, $2.8bn (£2.08bn) was made available for investment across the 211 member associations.
Fifa Forward 3.0 – covering the years 2023 through to 2026 – has produced a 30% increase in funding.
Fifa has provided a further $5m (£3.7m) for every member association, with another $60m (£44.48m) paid to each confederation for their own projects.
After being re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, Infantino is expected to win another term in 2027.
