31 July,2026 12:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Gianni Infantino (File Pic)
CONCACAF, alongside its 41 member associations, turned down FIFA's proposal to sell off a stake in the World Cup's commercial rights on Thursday, though the confederation refrained from joining UEFA's call for a tournament boycott.
The governing entity for football across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean stated that its member nations expressed 'deep concerns' regarding the initiative, pointing to a lack of proper procedure, an unnaturally brief consultation window, and a total lack of review or authorisation from FIFA's governing bodies.
"Concacaf is a confederation united by the love of our game, where football comes first. Guided by this philosophy over the past ten years, we have built, from the ground up, an organisation founded on service, transparent governance, and the long-term stewardship of football. History has shown FIFA and the football family what happens when the custodians of the game lose sight of these values," CONCACAF said in a statement.
"With this in mind, Concacaf today convened a meeting of the presidents of its 41 Member Associations, together with its President, Council members, and its FIFA Council members, to discuss a proposal developed and presented by the FIFA President to establish 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' and sell interests in the FIFA World Cup to private investors. During the meeting, 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. In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programmes following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned," the statement further added.
The decision comes after FIFA unveiled plans on Tuesday to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), an entity intended to consolidate the sale of all FIFA commercial rights, spanning broadcasting, sponsorship deals, ticketing, and licensing, alongside the operational execution of its international tournaments.
Through the initiative, FIFA aims to generate as much as $4.2 billion (£3.1 billion) by offering minority, non-controlling stakes in FFE to outside investors, placing the overall valuation of FFE at roughly $20 billion (£15 billion).
Meanwhile, European football's governing authority, UEFA, announced on Thursday that its member associations voted unanimously to boycott the FIFA World Cup along with all other FIFA-sanctioned events in protest against the plan to sell off tournament management stakes.
