FIFA rejects criticism, to continue consultation on investor plan

FIFA is pushing forward with a controversial plan to bring private investment into its commercial ventures, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from UEFA, European football's governing body. UEFA has publicly stated its readiness to boycott the World Cup if FIFA proceeds with creating a commercial subsidiary to manage its major events and allow private investors to acquire stakes.

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Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.

In response, FIFA issued a statement asserting that the plan involves an "open and democratic" consultation process with all stakeholders. The organization vehemently denied any intention of selling football, stating, "This is not something FIFA would ever entertain." FIFA acknowledged receiving feedback from various confederations, including UEFA and CONCACAF, and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring all member associations can vote based on factual information.

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We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.

The proposed investment plan, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative, aims to raise up to $20 billion. FIFA has suggested that if approved, this could result in a one-off payment of $8 million to $20 million for each of its 211 member associations. FIFA claims that incorrect media reports have disrupted the planned consultation process and intends to proceed to allow for informed decision-making by its members.

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Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each (member association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts.