Asian confederation chief welcomes FIFA decision to scrap World Cup sell-off plan
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa welcomed FIFA's decision to abandon plans to sell a stake in the World Cup.
- FIFA had proposed selling a 20% stake to private investors to raise up to $4.2 billion.
- Sheikh Salman stressed the importance of transparency and consultation with confederations for future initiatives impacting global football.
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has welcomed FIFA's decision to retract its controversial plan to sell a stake in the World Cup. The proposal, which aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling approximately 20% of a new unit managing FIFA events to private investors, faced significant opposition from regional confederations.
The AFC, along with other confederations, expressed that they were blindsided by the announcement. Following the backlash, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the world soccer governing body had decided to scrap the plans after carefully considering all viewpoints. This move by FIFA signifies a response to the widespread criticism and concerns raised by its member organizations.
The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game.
In a letter published on the AFC's website, Sheikh Salman emphasized the need for future initiatives that could impact global football to be presented and discussed with transparency. He expects "any initiative that has the potential to impact global football will be presented and discussed with the Confederations, the FIFA Council, Member Associations and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner." He further stated, "The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game."
Earlier, on Thursday, Sheikh Salman had described the manner in which the FIFA proposal was presented as "totally unacceptable" in a letter addressed to member associations. The AFC, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, is one of FIFA's six confederations and oversees regional club and national team competitions across Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
The way the FIFA proposal had been made was totally unacceptable.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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