Asian confederation rebukes FIFA in blow to private investment plan

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Thursday condemned FIFA for a lack of consultation over its plan to bring private investors into soccer’s World Cup and demanded more time to consider it in a blow to the global governing body’s hopes of getting the proposal through.

In a scathing letter to the continent’s 47 member associations, which has been seen by Reuters, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa also warned the proposal would never succeed without the support of all of football’s regional blocs, in an acknowledgment of Europe’s staunch opposition.

“The AFC notes with great concern and disappointment that it was not consulted by FIFA at any level prior to the public announcement of this proposal, and nor has it received any detailed governance, financial or legal analysis of the proposal and its potential repercussions, which is totally unacceptable,” the Bahraini wrote.

“Furthermore, the AFC is deeply concerned that FIFA’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of Continental football, which are based on solidarity, cooperation and transparency.”

The AFC’s forthright criticism heaps further pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has spearheaded the contentious plan to create a $20 billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and its other events, while offering minority stakes to private investors.

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The plan blindsided regional and national soccer associations, and triggered a fierce backlash from Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA, which rejected it outright.

CONCACAF, the regional bloc for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also criticised FIFA this week for a lack of consultation. Infantino offered FIFA’s 211 member associations $40 million each if they agree to the proposal by September 19 as part of a $10 billion package to become available from January 1, 2027.

If rejected, the package would revert to $2.7 billion previously offered, around $10 million per member association.

Sheikh Salman said the AFC was surprised by the timeline “when such decisions should never be rushed”, and would engage directly with FIFA to seek further clarification.

“The AFC firmly believes that sufficient time must be afforded for a comprehensive assessment, including appropriate legal and governance due diligence,” he wrote.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the letter.

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Lack of transparency

Infantino said FIFA will put the proposal to a vote by its member associations (MAs) and then to its executive Council. However, Sheikh Salman said it would need all six of the regional blocs behind it.

“Such an initiative will not succeed without the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now,” he wrote.

The African confederation’s executive committee will meet next week to evaluate the proposal, while the Oceania confederation, the smallest regional bloc with 11 full member nations, said it would discuss the proposal at a meeting next month.

South American governing body CONMEBOL has yet to comment publicly. Players’ bodies have also expressed opposition to FIFA’s plan, with FIFPRO, the global players union, warning the proposal would irreversibly reshape the incentives underpinning the competitions in which players work and build careers.

Australia’s players union joined the criticism on Thursday, saying the governing body was putting pressure on member associations to wave the proposal through while sidelining the athletes and fans who generate the value of the tournaments.

“The PFA is disturbed by the lack of transparency surrounding the proposal and the absence of meaningful consultation with those that generate the value that FIFA is seeking to exploit - the players and the fans,” Professional Footballers Australia said in a statement.

“At a time when football desperately requires greater transparency, accountability and good governance, proposals of this significance raise questions about who the game is run by and in whose interests. These tournaments should not be for sale.”