CONCACAF followed UEFA on Wednesday by criticising FIFA’s controversial plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a semi-private subsidiary.
World football’s governing body said on Tuesday it would retain a majority share in FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) but hoped to raise $4.2 billion later this year by “carefully selecting long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests”.
FIFA’s statement was a rapid response to a story in British newspapers The Times and The Financial Times based on leaks of the plan from two sources. The Times reported that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, 56, stood to profit from the scheme by becoming commissioner of the FFE after his expected next term expires in 2031.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously,” said UEFA’s statement. “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
CONCACAF, which governs North and Central American football, said it was “deeply concerned by the lack of due process”.
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