“It is not FIFA’s to sell.” That was UEFA’s answer on Tuesday to a proposal that would open the World Cup to private money.
FIFA confirmed in a statement that it is weighing the sale of stakes in “event operations,” presumably including the World Cup, to outside investors. The plan is still being debated internally. UEFA did not wait for the outcome. The organisers of the Champions League said the idea “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross” and urged every national association, league, club, player, supporter and government to treat it with the same seriousness.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially,” the UEFA statement read. “None of us are the owners of football.”
What FIFA says it wants
FIFA has set out its own version in an official statement. It says the aim is to lift football development funding above $10 billion, money that would reach all 211 of its member associations. Under the structure it described, FIFA would hold the majority of the World Cup. Private investors would take 20 to 30 percent, and member organisations would share a smaller stake of 20 percent between them.
The scheme could be worth millions to FIFA president Gianni Infantino personally if a deal goes through, according to the report that carried the story. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly been drawn into the talks through the Kushner family. One senior figure in the sport, quoted by The Times, called the plan a “nuclear bomb” for the game.
A president under fire
Infantino arrives at this fight already bruised. Fans have criticised him over ticket prices at this summer’s World Cup, and he drew fire for his part in a decision over a suspension for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, which was reportedly reversed after a phone call from Trump.
He has hit back at critics. “You were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all,” Infantino said, adding that FIFA had delivered “100% safety and security, only joy and happiness.”
