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All 41 Concacaf countries reject FIFA’s proposal to sell World Cup stakes
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

All 41 Concacaf countries reject FIFA’s proposal to sell World Cup stakes

From Vanguard · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Concacaf, representing 41 North, Central American, and Caribbean football nations, has rejected FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
  • Member associations cited concerns over a lack of due process, a short deadline, and insufficient governance review for the proposal.
  • UEFA's 55 member associations previously threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the commercial plans proceeded.

All 41 member associations of the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) have formally rejected FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in the FIFA World Cup to private investors. This decision makes Concacaf the latest football confederation to oppose the plan, following similar sentiments from other regions.

losing confidence, or have lost confidence altogether

— Source familiar with discussionsDescribing the sentiment among some Concacaf delegates regarding FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The rejection came after a meeting on Thursday where representatives deliberated on the proposal. Reports from the meeting indicated growing unease among member nations regarding FIFA's leadership under President Gianni Infantino. Sources familiar with the discussions suggested that many delegates felt they were losing confidence in Infantino's leadership, citing widespread concerns about FIFA's governance and transparency.

lack of due process

— Concacaf statementOne of the reasons cited by Concacaf for rejecting FIFA's proposal.

Concacaf issued an official statement confirming the vote against the proposal. The confederation highlighted several key reasons for their rejection. These included deep concerns about the "lack of due process" surrounding the proposal, an "artificially short deadline" imposed by FIFA, and the "absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies." Concacaf also questioned the necessity of private equity investment to fund FIFA Forward programs, especially after what was described as the "most profitable FIFA World Cup in history."

artificially short deadline

— Concacaf statementAnother reason cited by Concacaf for rejecting FIFA's proposal.

The confederation emphasized that the discussion reinforced the need for "greater transparency and proper governance" within FIFA. For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 member associations voted to reject the proposal. This move follows a similar stance from UEFA, the European governing body, whose 55 member associations had previously stated they would boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if the commercial plans moved forward. FIFA has maintained that its proposal aims to create a FIFA-owned commercial subsidiary to attract long-term capital and expertise while retaining control over the World Cup.

absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies

— Concacaf statementA further reason provided by Concacaf for their rejection of the FIFA proposal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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