The Asian Football Confederation, UEFA and CONCACAF have demanded an independent review of FIFA’s failed proposal to sell a stake in a company that would commercialise the rights to the World Cup and other major tournaments.
The three confederations made the demand in a joint letter issued on Monday, following FIFA’s decision to abandon the proposed deal amid strong opposition from football stakeholders.
The letter, published on UEFA’s website, described the proposal as a “profound failure of judgment” and a “fundamental breach of trust” with the institutions FIFA is mandated to serve.
It was signed by AFC President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, and the three confederations’ general secretaries, Datuk Seri Windsor John, Philippe Moggio and Theodore Theodoridis.
The confederations rejected FIFA’s characterisation of the controversy as a failure of communication, arguing that the proposal was advanced without meaningful consultation and on a compressed timeline that limited scrutiny by member associations.
“FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment,” the letter stated.
The confederations said the proposal to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was itself fundamentally wrong and demanded that any review of the process be conducted by a fully independent third party.
“FIFA has also committed to presenting a full report on these events to the FIFA Council, once again failing to recognise that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgment would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party, not by FIFA itself,” they said.
They further argued that FIFA’s administration, staff and other football stakeholders should play no role in conducting the review.
The dispute followed FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal in late July to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise, a new company intended to commercialise the rights to the World Cup and other major tournaments.
The proposal reportedly involved selling about 20 per cent of the company to private investors for approximately $4.2bn, with the proceeds earmarked for distribution to national football associations.
The proposal drew strong opposition from UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC, which argued that the World Cup’s commercial rights should not be opened to private investment without proper consultation with the football community.
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FIFA subsequently abandoned the plan at the end of July following the backlash.
In their joint letter, the confederations also questioned the circumstances surrounding a recent leadership meeting in Morocco, saying only one elected official was present and that no FIFA Council members or member associations were invited.
“Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present,” they said.
They also criticised the decision to summon some members of FIFA’s Management Committee abroad rather than hold the meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
The confederations said the development reinforced their concerns about the manner in which FIFA had handled the matter.
“This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it,” they said.
“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”
It was reported on Saturday that FIFA had vowed to resist what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine President Gianni Infantino, insisting that he remains democratically elected and backed by its 211 member associations.
In a statement, the governing body rejected calls or processes that do not comply with its statutes and democratic procedures, while dismissing recent allegations and reports it described as unsubstantiated or false.
FIFA said it welcomed legitimate scrutiny but would challenge inaccurate or misleading reporting, adding that disagreements over Infantino’s reforms should not be used to undermine his mandate.
The statement came amid growing criticism of Infantino following the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which was withdrawn after opposition from football stakeholders
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Source: The Punch
