‘Stands in solidarity’: AFC joins UEFA, CONCACAF in opposing FIFA's World Cup plan
The Asian Football Confederation has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing FIFA's plan to sell minority stakes in its commercial rights to private investors. The confederations argue that the proposal lacks consensus and exposes significant flaws in FIFA's governance and consultation processes.
Why it matters
This opposition represents a major challenge to FIFA's commercial strategy and highlights a growing rift between the governing body and its continental confederations.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing FIFA president Gianni Infantino's proposal to allow private investors to acquire minority stakes in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup and other global tournaments, significantly escalating resistance to one of the governing body's most ambitious commercial plans.In a strongly worded statement on Friday, the AFC said it "stands in solidarity" with UEFA and CONCACAF, arguing that the proposal lacked the broad consensus needed to move forward and exposing deeper concerns over FIFA's governance and consultation process.The latest development leaves FIFA facing growing opposition from three of its biggest continental confederations, representing well over half of its 211 member associations.AFC calls for urgent governance reviewThe controversy centres on FIFA's proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial subsidiary that would hold the governing body's commercial rights, including the Men's and Women's World Cups, Club World Cups,…
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