FIFA has responded to UEFA’s boycott threat by denying it has any intention of selling off the World Cup, even as opposition to its proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) structure continues to widen. Crucially, football’s global governing body stopped short of scrapping the plan altogether, confirming it intends to press ahead with a consultation process among its member associations.
AFC Becomes the Latest Confederation to Push Back
Having already seen UEFA’s 55 member associations vote unanimously to withhold participation in FIFA tournaments and CONCACAF’s 41 nations reject the proposal outright, FIFA now faces opposition from the Asian Football Confederation too. The AFC, representing 47 nations, called for FIFA to carry out an urgent review of its governance structures a significant statement given the confederation’s traditionally strong support for president Gianni Infantino.
With UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC all now opposed, confederations representing 143 of FIFA’s 211 member associations have voiced objections to the plan, putting real pressure on Infantino’s ability to push it through.
FIFA’s Response in Full
In a statement issued early Friday morning, FIFA acknowledged the concerns raised by confederations but argued its planned consultation process had been disrupted by inaccurate media coverage, and confirmed it would proceed regardless so member associations could vote based on the facts. The governing body maintained that FFE was designed purely to give national associations a genuine ownership stake in football’s commercial opportunities in their own countries, without compromising FIFA’s governance or the sport’s underlying spirit. Its central message was blunt: “Nobody is selling football.”
FIFA also argued that every member association deserves the chance to review the proposal and have input into shaping its own future language that stopped short of any concession to the confederations pushing back.
The AFC’s Governance Warning
The AFC’s statement, while measured, edged close to calling for a broader shake-up at the top of FIFA. It argued that genuine democracy within the organisation requires more than simply being handed a vote pointing instead to the need for transparent governance, timely consultation and meaningful participation throughout FIFA’s decision-making process, and calling directly for an urgent review of how proposals of this scale are developed and approved. The intervention is notable given AFC president Sheikh Salman finished runner-up to Infantino in the 2016 FIFA presidential election.
Who’s Backing the Plan
Infantino has publicly backed FFE, with an investor group led by Thrive Eternal founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner reportedly positioned to take a minority stake in the venture if it goes ahead. However, any promised financial windfall for national associations would be difficult to deliver if men’s and women’s World Cups were staged without European participation, even should Infantino secure majority backing from FIFA’s wider membership. European and global domestic leagues have also voiced opposition, wary that commercial pressure under FFE could eventually push FIFA toward bigger and more frequent tournaments at the expense of club schedules.
Analysis: Is Infantino’s Position Under Threat?
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol described FIFA’s statement as tone-deaf and issued in the middle of the night, noting it pointedly avoided naming Infantino directly which he suggested may reflect uncertainty within FIFA itself about how widely the president’s stance is actually shared internally. His overall assessment was that Infantino is now in a difficult spot and, in his words, “needs to stop digging.”
Solhekol argued the president should acknowledge his influence is waning, apologise to fans and to the leadership of FIFA’s 211 member associations, and stop attributing the controversy to inaccurate media coverage pointing out that reporting on the plan, led by The Times and the Financial Times, has held up as accurate throughout. He believes Infantino has weathered plenty of difficult moments before, but views this as the most serious crisis of his presidency, one entirely of his own making. While a swift apology followed by a lower profile could still see Infantino re-elected unopposed next March, Solhekol suggested there’s little sign so far that the FIFA president fully grasps the depth of feeling against him.
Quick Facts: The FIFA-Confederation Standoff
- Confederations opposing the plan: UEFA (55 MAs), CONCACAF (41 MAs), AFC (47 MAs)
- Total MAs represented in opposition: 143 of FIFA’s 211
- FIFA’s position: Consultation to continue; plan not withdrawn
- Investor group linked to the plan: Thrive Eternal (Joshua Kushner)
- Next FIFA presidential election: March 2027
