Member associations face deadline over proposed payout
Uefa has strongly criticised Fifa after it emerged that all 211 Fifa member associations had been given until 19 September to decide if they want to apply for an initial payment of $20m, around £15m, linked to Fifa’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
European football’s governing body accused Fifa of using the game for the financial benefit of itself and close allies. The reaction came after associations were told that the one off payment could be withdrawn if they did not support the proposals before the deadline.
In a statement, Uefa said the deadline showed the true nature of the plan. It added that, after speaking with many figures across football, it was aware of a growing level of resistance to the idea.
Uefa said Fifa should not be allowed to use football to benefit itself and people around it. The organisation also argued that football can be developed in a better way, with national associations, clubs, leagues, players and supporters placed first.
Fifa announced on Tuesday that it wanted to sell the commercial rights to its tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors. The proposal has quickly drawn criticism from several major bodies in the sport.
FA raises concerns over process and governance
The Football Association also responded to the proposals and said it had not been given full details of the plan. In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the FA said it had serious concerns about the governance behind the process.
The intervention is notable because the FA had rarely criticised Fifa during Gianni Infantino’s presidency. Debbie Hewitt, the FA chair, is one of Fifa’s eight vice presidents and attended several World Cup matches alongside Infantino. Even so, the FA appeared to have been left out of discussions about a proposal that already seems to be at an advanced stage.
The FA said it had been completely unaware of the idea and still did not have enough information about what the proposal involved or what conditions may be attached to it. Based on the limited information available, it said it was deeply worried about the lack of proper process and governance.
The English governing body added that it would give a fuller response once Fifa shared the proposal in a complete and transparent way.
The FA is understood to have spoken with Uefa and other European associations. Those bodies are preparing to oppose the plan, with several possible responses being discussed. These could include legal routes, a boycott of Fifa competitions or even a breakaway scenario if tensions continue to rise.
Concacaf says it learned of the plan through the media
Concacaf also issued a firm response. Its position carries weight because the North, Central American and Caribbean confederation has just helped deliver the most profitable World Cup in Fifa history, with revenues reported at $15bn.
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani played a major role in the successful joint bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada for the 2026 World Cup. Despite that, he was also not included in the planning around Fifa’s proposed commercial rights deal.
In a statement to the Guardian, Concacaf said it had only become aware of the matter through media reports and then through a media release. The confederation said it was very concerned by the absence of proper procedure.
Concacaf added that it shared the disappointment felt by many people in its region and across football. It questioned how such a detailed proposal could be prepared and made public before discussions had taken place with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders.
The confederation said football leaders must act as custodians of the game. It stressed that Fifa, the confederations and every member association have a duty to act in the best interests of football, guided by good governance, solid processes and long term care for the sport.
Private investment plan deepens tensions in world football
Fifa has been working with the US bank JP Morgan on a plan to create a new company called Fifa Forward Enterprise. The company would manage commercial rights connected to Fifa tournaments and could be partly sold to private investors.
The aim would be to raise up to $4.2bn later this year, with the money presented as funding for global football development projects. However, the idea has shocked several groups in the game and reopened major divisions between Fifa and other football bodies.
Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation were already preparing to oppose Fifa’s plan to expand the World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition. The new commercial proposal has added another layer to the conflict.
There are concerns that bringing private investors into the World Cup could create pressure for more expansion in future. Some figures also fear it could lead to demands for the tournament to be staged more often because of its commercial value.
Uefa accused Fifa of trying to sell part of football’s identity and governance. The European body is set to hold emergency talks on Thursday to decide on a joint response. Legal action is among the options expected to be discussed.
In its statement, Uefa said the proposal crossed a line that football institutions should never cross. It also called on national associations, leagues, clubs, players, supporters and governments to take the matter seriously.
Uefa argued that football’s soul and governance should not be treated as assets for sale, especially when there is no clear information about who would gain financially. It added that nobody owns football and that it is not Fifa’s property to sell.
European officials and clubs join the criticism
Hans Joachim Watzke, vice president of the German FA, president of Borussia Dortmund and a vice president on Uefa’s executive committee, also criticised the plan. Speaking to Kicker, he said many people in European football viewed Fifa’s proposal as an attack on the game.
Watzke said he shared that opinion and believed a line had been crossed. He added that recent talks with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and other colleagues had shown broad agreement among member associations.
Elite clubs have also voiced concern. The European Football Clubs organisation said it should have been fully consulted on such a major proposal. The group represents more than 850 clubs, whose players and communities are central to football worldwide and to Fifa competitions.
EFC said it learned about the plan in the same way as many other stakeholders, through the media and without advance warning. The organisation said that, given the scale of the proposal, it would have been appropriate for clubs to be involved in the discussion from the start.
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, also criticised the idea on Tuesday night. Writing on X, he said the sport does not belong to investors. Burnham argued that the World Cup is not a product, but the biggest competition in global sport, and that it was never anyone’s property to sell.
He added that no matter how the deal is presented, selling even part of the World Cup would mean selling out the competition.
