UEFA has accused FIFA of crossing a line after Gianni Infantino backed a $20bn commercial vehicle involving World Cup investors.
UEFA has come out swinging against FIFA’s proposal to sell off a stake in a new company built around the commercial power of the World Cup.
News of the proposal first broke in The Times, with Martyn Ziegler detailing plans to bundle FIFA’s flagship men’s and women’s tournaments, the World Cup and Club World Cup among them – into a new commercial venture.
FIFA has since confirmed the proposal is on the table, offering up more details about how the new structure would work.
The plan is to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise, FFE for short, as a wholly owned subsidiary that brings together FIFA’s commercial and event operations. The initial price tag? A hefty $20 billion. FIFA is aiming to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling off minority, non-controlling stakes to outside investors.
JPMorgan is on board to help FIFA with the fundraising, while Thrive Eternal – an investment group set up by Joshua Kushner – is tipped to be a major player. For context, Joshua is the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Donald Trump’s daughter.
According to The Times, there’s also talk that Gianni Infantino could take the reins as commissioner or chief executive of the new company once his time as FIFA president wraps up in 2031. The report also floated the idea that investors might push for bigger or more frequent tournaments to boost profits, though that’s not officially part of the plan – at least not yet.
FIFA insists it would retain sole control over football governance, competition formats, the international calendar and sporting decisions.
FIFA’s 211 member associations could each be in line for a one-off windfall of up to $20 million. But before anything happens, the proposal still needs to go before those associations and the FIFA Council for a final decision.
Infantino has pitched the plan as a way to share football’s commercial riches more fairly across the globe.
“This is about the democratisation of football worldwide.”
UEFA wasted no time in firing back with a statement, making their opposition crystal clear.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross.”
UEFA urged national associations, leagues, clubs, players, fans and even governments to take the proposal seriously. Their harshest words were aimed at the idea of private money getting involved in competitions FIFA runs for the world’s game.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade, especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
At the heart of the row is not just who gets a slice of the pie, but how much sway investors might end up having. A company built on World Cup revenues stands to gain from more matches, bigger tournaments and events held in markets that promise the biggest paydays.
FIFA insists investors would have no say over those decisions, and claims any profits would go straight back into developing the game. UEFA isn’t convinced, arguing that splitting commercial ownership from sporting control won’t solve the underlying conflicts.
No shares have changed hands yet, and the plan still needs the green light. But with FIFA confirming the details, the debate has burst into the open and the battle over who controls the World Cup’s future value is now front and centre.
