FIFA left isolated over commercial venture plan

FIFA's plan to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise, announced last Tuesday, continues to spark fierce opposition.

On Tuesday, Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, unveiled his intention to create a new entity tasked with overseeing the commercial exploitation of FIFA’s flagship competitions, backed by a private investor. The announcement took the football world’s major governing bodies by surprise.

Following UEFA, both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF have now officially criticized Gianni Infantino’s initiative. They denounced the lack of consultation and transparency prior to the project’s public unveiling.

Read also: FIFA: EFC also baffled by Gianni Infantino’s decision

In their respective statements, the confederations lamented not being involved in the development of a project they consider crucial for the future of world football. While FIFA insists this reform will generate more revenue to fund the sport’s growth—promising up to $40 million in support for each member association over the 2027-2030 cycle—critics fear an ever more commercialized model and are demanding a real debate before any decisions are made.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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