Uefa has called an emergency meeting of its 55 members for Thursday afternoon to discuss a coordinated response to Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. A European boycott of Fifa tournaments is among the options under consideration.
As the next major event in the Fifa calendar, a boycott of next year’s Women’s World Cup has been mentioned in preliminary discussions, although there would be a reluctance in some quarters to make the women’s game suffer as a consequence of a protest against Fifa proposals that primarily revolve around monetising the men’s World Cup and Club World Cup.
Uefa’s initial condemnation of Fifa’s plan to “sell the soul” of football has received strong backing from Concacaf – the North, Central American and Caribbean confederation – and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). If their members follow their leads there should be sufficient votes to block the proposal.
Those three confederations make up 143 of the 211 Fifa members, but unanimity is not guaranteed, as was made clear when Czechia’s football association became the first in Europe to back the plan.
Having received more than 200 letters of endorsement backing his re-election next year, Infantino is confident he has enough votes – although it is unclear whether the proposal requires a simple majority to be passed. Several sources have said that creating a new commercial entity – Fifa Forward Enterprise [FFE] – and selling a 20% stake to investors would necessitate a change of Fifa statutes, which requires a 75% majority that would be much harder to obtain.
On Wednesday evening, Infantino released a video to address the backlash. “FFE is actually a proposal, an offer,” he said. “It’s part of a democratic process – a consultation process – and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation. It is a golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally.”
Earlier, Uefa redoubled its attack on Fifa by accusing the world governing body of “using our sport to enrich themselves and their friends” after it emerged that Infantino had presented members with a deadline of 19 September to decide whether to apply for an initial payment of $20m (£15m) from the proposed sell-off.
A further $20m for each association would also be made available at a later date, although it is unclear whether accepting the money would equate to a formal endorsement and therefore remove the need for a vote.
“Today we have learned of Fifa’s deadline to associations to support their proposals or have the one-off payout offer withdrawn,” Uefa said. “This says everything you need to know about this plan. But having held discussions with many stakeholders across the game, Uefa knows there is significant and growing opposition to Fifa’s scheme. Fifa cannot continue to use our sport to enrich themselves and their friends. We can grow the game correctly. It’s time to prioritise associations, clubs, leagues, players and fans.”
Uefa’s second statement of condemnation followed a similarly strong intervention from Concacaf, which is particularly significant given the confederation has just hosted the most lucrative World Cup and covers the region that has brought the proposed new investment from the New York-based Thrive Eternal.
The Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, was instrumental in the success of the US, Mexican and Canadian bid for the tournament, but along with the seven other Fifa vice‑presidents and Fifa council members he was kept in the dark over the plans.
“Concacaf was only made aware of this matter through media reports and, subsequently, d by the lack of due process.
“We share the disappointment of many within our region and the game that this level of detail has been designed and shared publicly before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place.
“As leaders within football, we are the custodians of the game. Collectively, Fifa, the confederations and every member association have a responsibility to always act in the best interests of the sport. Every decision we make must be guided by good governance, robust processes and long-term stewardship.
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“This is the framework within which Concacaf operates. We trust that all within the Fifa family will act in the same manner.”
The AFC issued a similar statement of disapproval, which significantly is understood to have the backing of the Saudi Arabian football federation, a close ally of Infantino and the host of the 2034 World Cup.
“The AFC was not consulted on the proposal and is disappointed that a matter of such significance entered the public domain before the AFC family had been afforded the opportunity to examine and discuss it through the appropriate and established governance channels,” it said.
“While the AFC recognises the importance of exploring innovative approaches that can strengthen the future of global football, initiatives of this scale and consequence must be founded upon the principles of good governance, transparency and meaningful consultation.
“Decisions that may reshape the commercial and financial future of the game require comprehensive prior engagement with confederations, member associations and other relevant stakeholders before any proposal is made to the appropriate decision-making bodies.”
Elite clubs also expressed their unhappiness, with the European Football Clubs organisation pointing out that Fifa had not consulted it despite the two bodies having signed a memorandum of understanding.
“As an institution that represents over 850 football clubs – whose member clubs, their players and communities are fundamental participants in football worldwide, not least in Fifa’s competitions including all the international club competitions – it would be wholly appropriate for EFC to be fully consulted on a proposal of such magnitude,” it said.
“EFC learned about this proposal in the same way as most global football stakeholders – without warning and through the media.”
