In brief
- European football's governing body UEFA said it would boycott the World Cup if FIFA's privatisation proceeds.
- Football Australia has asked for more time to consider the proposal.
European football's governing body UEFA said Friday it would boycott the World Cup if FIFA pressed ahead with a controversial private investor plan.
"No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership," UEFA said in a statement.
"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product ... No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale."
On Tuesday, football's world governing body FIFA announced plans to create a commercial subsidiary to run its biggest events, such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
Under the proposal, private investors would be allowed to acquire stakes in the company but would remain minority shareholders, FIFA said.
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It hopes to raise up to US$4.2 billion (AU$5.9 billion) based on a valuation of US$20 billion (AU$28 billion) for the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative.
If approved, the project could provide each of FIFA's 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027 and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8.0 million to US$20 million (AU$28 million).
FIFA president Gianni Infantino described the initiative on Wednesday as a "golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally".
But UEFA, whose president Aleksander Čeferin boycotted the World Cup final to show unhappiness with FIFA, argued: "This model has no place in world football.
"Football's future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return.
"Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain," Čeferin said.
"Europe's position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation."
The FIFA proposal has drawn criticism from not only UEFA but also several leading European federations and European Union officials, who view it as another step in the commercialisation of sport and have raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
The EU praised UEFA on Thursday for "defending the integrity of the game".
"I welcome this UEFA statement and fully support its position," European commissioner for sports Glenn Micallef said in a social media post.
"Proud to see Europe's football associations leading on governance, standing firm on their principles," he posted.
The 41 members of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), including the three co-hosts of the recent World Cup — the United States, Mexico and Canada — unanimously rejected the proposal on Friday.
North and Central American football's governing body said "the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies".
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have also expressed concern that the FIFA proposal was made public before all 211 member associations were fully consulted.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has urged its members to review FIFA's divisive plan.
Never for sale
UEFA said in its statement Thursday that the World Cup was "one of football's greatest sporting legacies ... built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent.
"It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game," UEFA said.
"This is not merely a profound failure of leadership but an abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football.
"National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum — accept the irreversible capture of football's greatest competitions or bear the consequences.
"This is not a 'democratic decision' but governance by intimidation — an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game."
UEFA added: "There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.
"Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale."
On Tuesday, newly installed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham hit out at FIFA's plan.
“Let me say this very directly,” Burnham wrote in a statement on X. “Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.”
Football Australia considers its options
Football Australia was unmoved by the growing global pushback against FIFA's plans, telling media that it had received FIFA's plans but wanted more time to consider the proposal.
"We have requested further information from Fifa to properly assess the strategic, commercial, and governance implications of such a significant step,” a spokesperson told The Guardian.
"We will only be able to form a position after receiving this information and engaging in further dialogue with our peer member associations and our confederation."
Professional Footballers Australia, which serves as the Australian players' union and represents both the Socceroos and the Matildas, said that "these tournaments should not be for sale."
"If accepted, it would open the door to the privatisation of FIFA World Cups and other FIFA competitions," PFA chief executive Beau Busch told ESPN. "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."
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in which Football Australia sits, said it had not been consulted by FIFA about the FFE and expressed disappointment with the lack of transparency. It did not, however, condemn FIFA's plans outright.
"The AFC firmly believes that all stakeholders should be provided with sufficient information and adequate time to assess the proposal in full, including its governance, legal, commercial and strategic implications. Such a process is essential to ensuring that any decision reflects the collective interests of the global football community and reinforces confidence in FIFA's governance framework."
New Zealand Football and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) felt similarly.
Others in the Australian football sphere were not quite as reserved.
“It will fall on the players, current and former, and fans around the world to protect their World Cup. For future generations,” said former Socceroo Craig Foster.
Liberal senator Dave Sharma called the proposal "grotesque", saying that he believed the World Cup should not be privatised.
“It is clear from the reaction of Football Australia and other regional confederations and associations that they have been blindsided by this proposal.
“The fact that a change of this significance was announced without any meaningful prior engagement or consultation only adds to the suspicion surrounding it.”
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