FIFA defends proposed investment initiative, denies selling World Cup franchise
By Uzor Odigbo
FIFA has washed its hands off claims that it plans to sell the FIFA World Cup to private investors, insisting that its proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative is designed to increase development funding for its 211 Member Associations while preserving the governing body’s ownership and control of the game.
In a statement issued on Friday, FIFA said it acknowledged and respected concerns raised by football confederations and other stakeholders, but stressed that inaccurate media reports had disrupted its planned consultation process.
The world football governing body reaffirmed its commitment to an open and democratic consultation, saying every Member Association (MA) would have the opportunity to study the proposal and make an informed decision.
“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation,” FIFA said.
“Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each Member Association has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”
FIFA maintained that the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise was conceived solely to enable Member Associations to benefit more directly from football’s commercial opportunities without compromising the governance or integrity of the sport.
“Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain,” the statement said.
The governing body added that while stakeholders were free to oppose the proposal or seek further clarification, no individual confederation or organisation could claim to speak on behalf of all 211 FIFA Member Associations.
According to FIFA, the proposal envisages the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise as a subsidiary company that would permanently remain under FIFA’s ownership and control while managing the organisation’s commercial and event delivery operations.
Under the proposal, the additional commercial value generated by the subsidiary would be distributed among all 211 Member Associations to support football development.
FIFA said each Member Association would receive US$20 million in FIFA Forward development funding between 2027 and 2030, regardless of whether it chooses to participate in the initiative.
It also proposed a one-off US$20 million payment through the FIFA Fast Forward Programme, which would be financed through external investment. FIFA stressed that participation would be entirely voluntary and would not involve relinquishing control of its commercial assets or altering its governance structure.
The governing body further emphasised that the proposal would only proceed with the backing of a majority of its Member Associations.
“Without the support of the majority of Member Associations, FIFA’s commercial activities would remain unchanged. FFE would not be established,” it said.
FIFA described the current proposal as the starting point of a wider consultation process, adding that Member Associations would be free to approve, reject or amend any aspect of the initiative before a final decision is taken.
The clarification comes amid mounting opposition to the proposal from several football confederations, including the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), while senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro has also resigned in protest over the initiative
