AFC, UEFA, CONCACAF demand review of FIFA's failed World Cup deal

Football's governing bodies in Asia, Europe, and North America have jointly called for an independent investigation into FIFA's aborted plan to sell a stake in a new company that would manage commercial rights for major tournaments, including the World Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), UEFA, and CONCACAF issued a joint letter on Monday, condemning the proposal as a "profound failure of judgment" and a "fundamental breach of trust." They argued that the deal was advanced without adequate consultation and on a tight deadline, limiting scrutiny by member associations.

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FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment.

FIFA had characterized the controversy as a communication breakdown, but the confederations rejected this, stating, "what football witnessed was a failure of judgment." They insisted that any review must be conducted by an independent third party, excluding FIFA administration, staff, and other stakeholders.

The dispute arose from FIFA President Gianni Infantino's late July proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise. This new entity was intended to commercialize World Cup rights, with reports suggesting a 20% stake sale to private investors for approximately $4.2 billion. The funds were earmarked for distribution to national football associations. However, the plan faced strong opposition and was abandoned by FIFA at the end of July.

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FIFA has also committed to presenting a full report on these events to the FIFA Council, once again failing to recognise that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgment would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party, not by FIFA itself.