Infantino was elected Fifa president in 2016, defeating AFC president Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa by 115 votes to 88. The next Fifa president is due to be confirmed at the organisation’s 77th Congress in Morocco next March. Anyone wishing to stand must submit their candidacy by 18 November. Before this week’s developments, Infantino had been expected […]
Continue Reading
Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell portions of the World Cup’s commercial assets to private investors has fallen apart. The Fifa president acknowledged that the initiative had caused divisions that ultimately undermined its original purpose, following strong opposition across international football. The proposal triggered widespread unrest throughout the sport, with Uefa warning that it could […]
Continue Reading
What has taken place? Football has endured a turbulent week after unexpected reports emerged on Tuesday afternoon. The sport’s global governing body was said to be preparing a company that would manage the World Cup’s commercial rights, with part of the business offered to outside investors. Even members of the organization’s main decision-making council reportedly […]
Continue Reading
Pressure intensified around Gianni Infantino after a turbulent day in which a senior adviser stepped down and FIFA’s chief operating officer issued a severe public criticism of his leadership. Infantino is facing growing resistance over his proposal to sell private investors stakes connected to the World Cup. European associations have warned that they could boycott […]
Continue Reading
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has backed Uefa and Concacaf in rejecting Fifa’s proposal to offer private investors ownership stakes in its competitions. In a statement released on Friday, the AFC argued that the plan put forward by Fifa president Gianni Infantino was unlikely to secure the widespread agreement and unity needed for it to […]
Continue Reading
Fifa plans to establish a commercial subsidiary responsible for managing its leading competitions, including the World Cups, while allowing outside investors to acquire shares in the business. The organisation said it would allow external parties to make minority investments without gaining controlling authority in the new company, named Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). Fifa stated on […]
Continue Reading
Nobody can say with confidence what will happen next, and Infantino’s long-term position remains unclear. Fifa has not yet replied to Uefa’s declaration. Concacaf, the governing body for football in North and Central America and the host confederation of this year’s World Cup, later issued its own statement saying all 41 members opposed the proposals. […]
Continue Reading
Following Thursday’s virtual meeting, chaired by president Aleksander Ceferin, Uefa issued a statement saying that the organisation and all 55 of its member associations were united in their position. The statement said they firmly and unanimously opposed Fifa’s plan to hand ownership stakes in the World Cup and its other tournaments to private investors. A […]
Continue Reading
The Asian Football Confederation has criticized Fifa for threatening football’s fundamental principles by moving ahead with plans to sell World Cup stakes to private investors without first consulting the continental governing bodies. In a letter distributed to the AFC’s 47 member associations on Thursday, president Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa strongly denounced Fifa’s decision to negotiate […]
Continue Reading
Fifa argues that its proposal to sell World Cup stakes to private investors would provide its 211 member associations with additional funding for football development. Past experience, however, suggests that these resources have not always produced equal benefits. Millions have either disappeared or been diverted from their intended purpose, while Fifa has frequently intervened only […]
Continue Reading