FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed separating commercial operations including the World Cup into a newly established subsidiary and allowing private investors to hold up to a 20 per cent stake, triggering strong opposition from UEFA. The 55 member associations under UEFA recently unanimously agreed that if FIFA proceeds with the plan, they will boycott all FIFA competitions.
UEFA said in a statement that the World Cup belongs to football itself, rather than being an asset for sale. It demanded that FIFA fully withdraw the plan and provide legally binding commitments to ensure that the management rights and commercial interests of competitions will not be opened to private capital in the future.
Under the proposal, FIFA plans to establish a subsidiary called “FIFA Forward Enterprise” (FFE), which would be responsible for the commercial operations of events such as the World Cup. The company is estimated to be valued at around US$20 billion, with a target of raising US$4.2 billion this year.
Infantino has asked FIFA’s 211 member associations to express their support for the proposal by 19 September. He has also promised that if the plan is approved, the basic funding for each member association over the next four years will increase from US$10 million to US$20 million, with cumulative funding potentially rising to US$86 million by 2038. He described the plan as a way to unlock football’s commercial value and provide more funding for global football development.
However, in addition to UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation has also criticised FIFA for failing to adequately consult continental football bodies beforehand, warning that the proposal would be difficult to implement without broad support.
Commentary:
FIFA’s plan to introduce private capital investment into the World Cup’s commercial operations appears to create more funding sources for global football development. However, the real controversy is not how much money can be raised, but whether the World Cup is gradually becoming a tool driven by capital interests.
Private investment may provide member associations with more resources, but when external investors hold commercial interests in the World Cup, the pursuit of financial returns could potentially outweigh football development and the public interest. Future decisions on tournament arrangements, broadcasting rights, commercial partnerships and even competition reforms could be influenced by market and investor interests, rather than being based solely on the long-term development of football.
The World Cup has always been regarded as an important asset shared by the global football community, rather than a commercial project belonging to a small group of investors. If commercial rights are gradually privatised, football governance power could also shift from member associations towards capital markets. Whether this would change the core values of the World Cup is something the global football community should remain cautious about.