Football

The response to FIFA’s brazen plan to sell shares in the FIFA World Cup has been swift and aggressive, as multiple groups and entities around the world call on member nations to take firm action against the monetization of the famous global tournament.

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That has indeed taken place as at least one leading confederation of FIFA member associations has banded together and issued a firm statement against Gianni Infantino’s proposal to create the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

The plan has generated fierce backlash as a bold attempt to generate millions of dollars in cash for the Swiss-based non-profit in exchange for shares in a commercial enterprise with direct links to the World Cup. While FIFA has denied that those financing the deal will not gain any kind of influence on the proceedings of the World Cup or other FIFA tournaments, that claim has been resoundingly rejected by the biggest critics of the plan.

The Sporting News details each confederation’s reaction to the FFE plan, with the European governing body setting the tone for others to hopefully follow.

MORE: All the details about Gianni Infantino’s plan to spin off World Cup investment shares

What is FIFA’s World Cup sale plan?

FIFA has announced a plan to sell a «significant minority stake» to investors via a proposed new commercial enterprise, which will have direct access to the inner workings of football’s most famous and globally recognized tournament.

This commercial vehicle will be known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), created by FIFA as a «controlled subsidiary consolidating FIFA’s commercial and event operations,» according to the governing body’s official release.

According to Ziegler’s report, the stake to be sold will be around 20%, with investors including banking titan JP Morgan, tech investor Joshua Kushner and others. The entity will be valued at around $20 billion.

According to FIFA’s release on the topic, FFE could generate an incredible amount of money for member institutions. FIFA claims it would provide $20 million per member association in immediate funding, plus another $20 million per member for the coming World Cup cycle, with the potential for even more revenue growth. As a designated nonprofit organization, FIFA passes profits to its member associations.

A BBC report on July 29 corroborated the claim of the combined $40 million to each of FIFA’s 211 members and added that Infantino has set a September 19 deadline for federations to accept his plans. In a five-page letter sent to FIFA members, federations were told the initial $20 million will be available from January 1, 2027 if they respond positively by the September deadline.

MORE: Sites of future FIFA World Cups

World Cup sale response tracker

Below are everything we know on all confederations and their member institutions regarding their stance the plan to create the FIFA Forward Enterprise.

Who has threatened to boycott the World Cup?

• UEFA have threatened to boycott the FIFA World Cup
• CONCACAF have not threatened to boycott the FIFA World Cup, but did reject the FFE plan

AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC have not yet responded to the proposal

UEFA nations first to declare they will withdraw from World Cups

UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin has been an outspoken critic of Gianni Infantino and FIFA for years, and so it was no surprise that the European governing body was the first to act swiftly in the aftermath of the release of the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan.

After an emergency meeting of all 55 UEFA member nations on July 30, the European governing body announced it would not participate in any FIFA competition as long as Infantino’s proposed investment plan was tabled.

«UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one,» said UEFA in a statement released jointly by all member nations. «We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.»

The statement confirmed that until FIFA contractually agrees to withdraw from this proposal and never to revive it at any time, UEFA nations would not participate in any of its tournaments.

«As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership,» the statement said.

MORE: All details of UEFA’s plan to boycott the men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments

CONCACAF holding emergency meeting

In the wake of UEFA’s statement, CONCACAF reportedly also decided to convene all 41 member nations for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to FIFA’s proposal, according to Adam Crafton of The Athletic.

Previously, the North and Central American confederation had also released a statement expressing concern for Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. However, this statement did little to condemn the substance of the plan, instead mostly expressing concern for the process by which it was compiled.

«CONCACAF was only made aware of this matter through media reports and, subsequently, via a media release,» the governing body said on July 29. «We are deeply concerned 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.»

After convening on July 30, CONCACAF released a statement on behalf of all 41 member nations stating that they have rejected FIFA’s FFE proposal.

While CONCACAF did not follow UEFA’s lead in threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, it «tasked FIFA Council Members with instructing the FIFA president to ensure that any matter follows the proper governance processes via staff and FIFA Council.»

Additionally, CONCACAF said the member nations «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.»

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While there was again very little in the statement condemning the actual FFE plan itself, the statement did confirm that CONCACAF «tasked its 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.»

Essentially, CONCACAF believes that FIFA has enough cash in reserves to fund its own football development around the world without requiring outside investment.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has been a close confidant of Gianni Infantino and has largely been seen as a leading candidate to succeed the Swiss president once he departs his post. While that might seem like Montagliani would be expected to fall in line, the fact that CONCACAF had not been made aware of this plan could leave the Canadian frustrated, potentially with a desire to assist in the takedown of the head man.

AFC expresses frustration but delays action

Upon the release of the FFE plan, the Asian football confederation released a statement similar to CONCACAF’s, albeit slightly harsher, expressing their «great concern and disappointment» that the AFC was «not consulted» on this plan.

However, they did go one step further, condemning the plan for its efforts to «undermine the very foundations of continental football, which are based on solidarity, cooperation and transparency.»

The AFC also expressed their concern that the plan has fractured the global football landscape, saying it cannot be successful without the full support of the entire FIFA congress. «Moreover, such an initiative will not succeed without the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now.»

Finally, the AFC expressed frustrating with the short turnaround time given by Gianni Infantino for a September 19 deadline by which all confederations must either confirm their support or express their rejection of the plan. «The AFC is surprised that the current timeline allows an extremely limited period for consideration of a proposal of such significance, when such decisions should never be rushed,» the statement read.

However, it seems the AFC has stopped short of committing to any kind of boycott. Along with the scathing remarks of FIFA’s actions, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa also asked fellow member associations to delay their own actions until a comprehensive review process can be completed.

«The AFC kindly requests all [member associations] to await the outcome of these consultations and the completion of the ‌necessary review processes before reaching any position regarding the proposal.» It was a disappointing and weak end to an otherwise strong rejection of Infantino’s plan.

Radio silence from CONMEBOL on FFE plan

Unsurprisingly, South American confederation CONMEBOL has been silent on the matter to this point.

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has been a stark supporter of Gianni Infantino, and has been lobbying hard for an expanded 64-team World Cup at the 2030 edition of the tournament. Dominguez wishes to push an even larger version of the tournament so that Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay could host a full group’s worth of matches each, rather than the one-game showcase they would likely get under the current 48-team tournament format.

Thus, it’s not surprising that Dominguez would look to back Infantino’s plan to get in his good graces and hope to gain favor for his own efforts.

Will Gianni Infantino resign?

As more and more individuals and organisations come out in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan, there has been an increase in calls for the FIFA president to resign his post.

For most of his presidency, Infantino has been extremely well-liked inside the global football governing body, as he has managed to keep almost every faction happy amidst conflicting interests across the world. Infantino has also been known to keep potentially disgruntled parties satisfied by his staunch efforts to increase the FIFA coffers, which have been wildly successful.

However, this latest attempt — his most brazen by far — has put various individuals in a difficult position. Such a bold and obvious attempt to increase FIFA’s wealth, and that of its most powerful figures, has put the spotlight squarely on the beneficiaries of such a plan. Infantino has made it impossible for those who follow him not to do so on a blatantly obvious level, putting their own reputations on the line.

At this point, there has been no indication that Infantino has any intention of backing down, let alone resigning. Infantino is an incredibly confident individual, and if his recent connections to Donald Trump are any indication, he may double down if anything.

That’s what he did in a definitively petulant Instagram post on Sunday, July 26 which lashed out at critics of his leadership before and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

«To everyone who missed our beautiful game, the emotions, the celebrations, the laughter, the crying, the deception, and the joy,» Infantino raged at critics of his, «To all of you who missed watching kids, babies, grandparents, and parents come together for the beautiful game, I say sorry that the matches are now over and sorry that you missed all that joy and togetherness. Sorry that you were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all.

«To those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumors, I want to say that while you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organising, working hard, and delivering the best show in the world.»

Infantino accused his critics of spreading discord, saying «while you divide, we unite.»

«While they celebrated, you were busy planting seeds of hate. Our world needs love, not hate; tolerance, not division; celebration, not mourning. While you spread hatred, we worked tirelessly to unite two countries at war. Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict.

«It’s not about politics. Football is about unity, not division. Football is bigger than hate and discrimination.»

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