Another 47 countries share their big worries about FIFA’s World Cup plan as an important step is reached.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which includes 47 member associations, has shared serious worries about FIFA’s plan to sell small shares of the World Cup to private investors. This comes after UEFA and CONCACAF, which together represent 96 member groups, openly rejected the idea. UEFA even said they might boycott both the men’s and women’s World Cups if the plan moves forward.
FIFA wants to raise over $20 billion through private investment with a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise. A US firm, Thrive Capital, led by Joshua Kushner—brother of Jared Kushner, who is related to Donald Trump—is expected to lead the investors. FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, promised to pay £30 million to each member association that supports the plan by September 19.
UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister called FIFA’s offer a kind of blackmail and said the World Cup “cannot be treated as an investment product.” CONCACAF hasn’t threatened a boycott but said their members have rejected FIFA’s proposal.
FIFA responded early Friday with a long statement defending the plan, but pressure is growing on both FIFA and Infantino. Now, the AFC, which includes countries like Japan, Australia, South Korea, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, has also spoken up. They stand with UEFA and CONCACAF in raising serious concerns about the plan.
The AFC’s statement said they are worried because the idea of a World Cup boycott is now a real discussion, which should concern everyone who loves football. They believe the plan won’t get the wide support it needs because it’s dividing the football world.
They also criticized FIFA for how they handled the proposal, saying that many member groups and football leaders feel left out. The AFC stressed that big decisions like this should be made in a open and honest way that has the trust of the football community. They said this isn’t the first time big ideas have been pushed through before proper talks happened, which hurts confidence in FIFA’s leadership.
The AFC hopes this moment will lead to improvements in how FIFA makes decisions. They called on FIFA to review its governance and include all voices early on when making major plans.
They finished by saying the World Cup and football belong to everyone involved in the sport worldwide, and decisions about their future need to be made together, with input from all regions and associations.
This is an important move because it means FIFA and Infantino probably won’t get the majority support needed to approve their private investment plan. If all members from UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC say no, that adds up to 142 associations rejecting it—out of the 211 FIFA currently recognizes.