FIFA has withdrawn its controversial proposal to open up its flagship competitions to private investment following fierce backlash from football’s major governing bodies.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that the proposal would not move forward, acknowledging that it had become increasingly divisive across the global football community.
“It had become clear that the project had ‘created divisions’ that are ‘no longer in the interest’ of its original objective,” Infantino said before confirming, “As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
The plan sought to establish a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would oversee the governing body’s major competitions, including the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups. Under the proposal, outside investors would have been allowed to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in the new subsidiary.
As part of efforts to secure support, FIFA reportedly offered each of its 211 member associations up to $40 million if they backed the proposal.
However, the initiative triggered widespread resistance from football’s continental governing bodies.
Europe’s governing body, UEFA, led the opposition by warning that its members could boycott future FIFA World Cups if the proposal was implemented. The stance was later backed by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also declared its solidarity against the proposal.
The combined opposition from UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC effectively left the proposal without the votes required for approval, making its passage increasingly unlikely.
The controversy also exposed divisions within FIFA itself.
Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour admitted the organisation’s administration had been “deceived” regarding aspects of the project, while FIFA senior adviser on global strategy and governance Carlos Cordeiro resigned, describing the proposal as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future.”
The backlash has intensified pressure on Infantino as he prepares to seek a fourth term as FIFA president at the organisation’s Congress in March.
Despite shelving the proposal, Infantino insisted FIFA remains committed to unity.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve,” he said.
“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game.”
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa welcomed FIFA’s decision, stressing that the future of world football should be shaped through consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the game’s established governance structures.
Under FIFA’s original proposal, investment bank JPMorgan had outlined projections that expanded commercial opportunities could significantly increase financial returns for member associations over the next decade. The plan also envisioned attracting private capital to help maximise the commercial value of FIFA’s competitions.
With the proposal now withdrawn, attention is expected to shift to efforts to rebuild consensus among FIFA’s member associations ahead of next year’s presidential election.
