Asian Football Confederation backs UEFA, CONCACAF against FIFA's private investor plan for World Cup

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has aligned with UEFA and CONCACAF, firmly rejecting FIFA's proposal to establish a commercial venture involving private investors for the World Cup. The AFC announced its support for the European and North American confederations' opposition to the plan, stating its aim is to "protect the World Cup."

In a statement, the 47-member AFC indicated that the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) is unlikely to gain the broad consensus and unity required to move forward, given the existing divisions within the football world. While not explicitly opposing the project, the AFC emphasized that any proposal that could "undermine the unity and universality" of the World Cup needs reconsideration.

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Given the positions expressed by UEFA and CONCACAF, as well as the unprecedented divisions that have emerged in the world of football, the AFC believes that the proposed FFE cannot realistically achieve the broad consensus and unity necessary to move forward.

This move follows UEFA's threat to boycott FIFA competitions. The AFC's decision signals a significant challenge to FIFA's commercialization strategy, highlighting a growing rift among major football stakeholders over the future governance and commercial interests of the sport's premier event.

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any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universality of the World Cup must be reconsidered