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FIFA seeks private stake
FIFA announced it intends to expand "football development funding" to more than $10bn and invite third-party investment in a new venture called Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would consolidate its commercial and event operations including the World Cup.
“European football's governing body Uefa and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have criticised proposals from Fifa to seek private investment in its competitions, including the World Cup”
UEFA criticised the reported plan, saying football's governance is "not FIFA's to sell," and warned the move crossed "a line that football's governing institutions should never cross."
The proposal would still need approval by a vote of FIFA's 211 member nations, and FIFA said it would invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments in FFE.
FIFA said it would retain control of FFE and "exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions," while also saying each of its 211 member associations would be able to access up to $20m in one-off capital.
The BBC reported that Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE, and that Thrive was founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Burnham and UEFA backlash
Prime Minister Andy Burnham joined the criticism, posting on X that "Football does not belong to investors," and saying "The World Cup is not a product."
UEFA said it "crosses a line" with the FFE plan, adding "The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade" and that "None of us are the owners of football."
The BBC reported that FIFA sources told it there had been "no discussion over Infantino, or anyone else, becoming chief executive of FFE," while FIFA said Infantino and the rest of the organisation "has a duty" to control the development of the project.
Sky Sports reported that UEFA nations were expected to hold an emergency meeting virtually this week and that there was a willingness to use the threat of a boycott if FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushes ahead.
In FIFA’s statement, Infantino said "Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value" and that FIFA exists to support "sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world."
What’s at stake next
FIFA said the plan could deliver more than $10bn in "football development funding" over the next four years, with member associations able to access up to $20m in "one-off capital" and FIFA also saying it would increase payments to its 211 member associations from $8m to $20m per association for the 2027-2030 cycle.
“Topline UEFA, the governing body for soccer in Europe, is considering boycotting future FIFA events, including the World Cup, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday—hours after the organization expressed outrage over FIFA’s plans to sell a minority stake in the tournament to private investors”
The BBC reported that the proposal still needed to be passed by a vote of FIFA's 211 member nations, and that it could be voted on by all 211 members at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March.
UEFA’s position, as quoted by the BBC, was that the proposal "crosses a line" and that "None of us are the owners of football," while Sky Sports said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin had not attended the World Cup final in protest at FIFA governance issues including its handling of the Folarin Balogun case.
BBC Sport’s Kieran Maguire said the proposals were "an opportunity for Fifa to generate even more money" and that there were "an awful lot of interested parties in the game who want a slice of the action."
The BBC also said the matter was likely to be discussed at the next FIFA Council meeting in the autumn and around the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December, with the proposal potentially facing further scrutiny over how it could affect the size and frequency of FIFA competitions.
