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FIFA announced Tuesday that it plans to spin the revenue-generating parts of its business into a new $20 billion commercial arm, FIFA Forward Enterprise, and sell roughly 20% of that company to new minority investors, led by a firm owned by Joshua Kushner—the brother of Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
The plan, which initially promised $20 million to each national soccer federation in the upcoming World Cup cycle followed by increases for the next two cycles, quickly drew strong reactions.
The European confederation, UEFA, immediately released a statement condemning the proposed move.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially,” UEFA said. “None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
UEFA will hold an emergency meeting this week to determine its response, including a possible World Cup boycott, according to multiple reports.
The North American and Asian confederations released statements that did not comment on the substance of the plan, but they blasted FIFA for unveiling it without consulting them first.
One continental confederation was more measured. CAF, the African governing body, merely said it planned to “assess and evaluate” the new proposal.
But even with major confederations showing resistance, FIFA president Gianni Infantino could still push the idea through.
To move forward, FFE needs support from only the majority of the 211 national soccer federations that make up FIFA’s membership, plus necessary approvals from the 37-member FIFA council. Every member association gets one vote, so smaller nations that would greatly benefit from a multimillion-dollar cash injection hold just as much sway as powerhouses in Europe in FIFA elections.
At least one country is already showing a willingness to break from their continental confederation. The president of the Czech Republic’s federation, David Trunda, told Sky News: “Of course we need more details, but my personal point of view is that I can see the positive impact of FIFA’s intentions.”
Left in the Dark
Concacaf, the North and Central American confederation, said it was “deeply concerned by the lack of due process” after it first learned of the plan through media reports. Concacaf did not criticize the plan itself. “Every decision we make must be guided by good governance, robust processes and long-term stewardship,” its early Wednesday morning statement said.
The Asian Football Confederation put out a similar message. “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,” its Wednesday statement read.
England’s federation, the Football Association, said it was “completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is, and what conditions are attached.
“Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved,” the FA said.
Europeans Are Livid
The board of European Leagues—the organization comprising dozens of professional soccer leagues including the continent’s major leagues in Spain, France, England, Germany, and Italy—held a meeting Wednesday and released a statement saying that the leagues “firmly reject this proposal” and calling the plan “reckless and divisive.”
“The World Cup should not be for sale,” the board’s statement read. “It is not FIFA President’s private equity asset.”
The Premier League shared the European Leagues’s statement, saying: “The Premier League is a founder member of the European Leagues and fully supports this statement.”
LaLiga president Javier Tebas said the proposal “seems like an electoral campaign financed with the future of football,” and called Infantino “the problem” to FIFA’s governance. He also posted a photo of an iceberg with FIFA hovering above the top, along with a phrase translated from Spanish: “What is known is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Andy Burnham, the U.K.’s new prime minister, posted against the plan: “The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell.”
The Football Supporters’ Association, which represents fans in England and Wales, said they are “furious” at FIFA’s “new low.”
The European division of the global players’ union, FIFPRO, said the new model would allow “financial interests to outweigh the voices of those who play, support and sustain the game.”
Infantino’s Letter and UEFA’s Response
After the announcement, Infantino sent a letter to the federations saying they have until Sept. 19 to accept the plan, The Times of London first reported.
Infantino’s letter promised an extra $20 million “fast forward” incentive if countries accept—bringing their total for the World Cup cycle to $40 million. Under what Infantino said was the status quo without the plan, federations would receive $10 million each for the cycle.
“This says everything you need to know about the plan,” UEFA said in a Wednesday statement about the September deadline. “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.”
UEFA’s emergency meeting will be Thursday, Sky Sports reported. The confederation previously threatened to boycott the World Cup after FIFA tried to make the tournament happen every two years. UEFA stages its European Championship in the two years between World Cups.
FIFA and UEFA have been locked in a power battle for years. FIFA’s expansion of the Club World Cup into a billion-dollar tournament last summer was widely viewed as a direct attempt to rival UEFA’s Champions League. European federations and UEFA have been highly critical of Infantino’s close relationship with Trump, and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final to protest FIFA’s decision to reverse Folarin Balogun’s suspension following calls from Trump.
