The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to allow private investors to acquire minority stakes in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup and other global tournaments, significantly escalating resistance to one of the governing body’s most ambitious commercial plans.In a strongly worded statement on Friday, the AFC said it “stands in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, arguing that the proposal lacked the broad consensus needed to move forward and exposing deeper concerns over FIFA’s governance and consultation process.The latest development leaves FIFA facing growing opposition from three of its biggest continental confederations, representing well over half of its 211 member associations.
AFC calls for urgent governance review
The controversy centres on FIFA’s proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial subsidiary that would hold the governing body’s commercial rights, including the Men’s and Women’s World Cups, Club World Cups, sponsorship, broadcasting, licensing and ticketing.Under the plan, FIFA intends to sell a 20 percent minority stake in the new entity, valued at around USD 20 billion, to private investors. The reported anchor investor is a New York-based investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner.The AFC, however, questioned both the proposal and the manner in which it was introduced.“Football should never have been placed in such a position,” the continental body said.It added that the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise “cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward” and urged FIFA to reconsider the initiative.The AFC also criticised FIFA’s consultation process, saying the issue extended beyond the proposal itself.“Rather, it has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed.”Calling for institutional reforms, the AFC urged FIFA to undertake “an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework.”
FIFA defends proposal amid growing backlash
The AFC’s statement comes a day after UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the proposal remains unchanged, while CONCACAF formally rejected the plan during a meeting of its member associations.FIFA, however, defended the proposal on Friday, insisting that media reports had distorted its intentions.“Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports,” FIFA said in a statement.The governing body maintained that it would continue consulting all 211 member associations before a vote, with a September 19 deadline set for federations to respond.FIFA also rejected claims that it was commercialising football.“Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”According to FIFA, the proposed commercial entity would only manage revenue-generating rights, while the organisation would retain full control over governance, competitions, regulations and the international match calendar. It argues the investment would generate greater financial returns and substantially increase development funding for member associations.The proposal requires the support of 106 of FIFA’s 211 member associations to pass.
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