FIFA World Cup sale falls through: UEFA, Concacaf, AFC and Sepp Blatter all blasted Gianni Infantino's plan

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had to be aware there would be opposition to the organization’s bid to sell off minority stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors. He still might not have been expecting what happened, though. Three days after word broke of FIFA’s plan, all six of the continental confederations had weighed in on the plan, as have a number of notable observers. Three confederations were hard against the idea. The other three didn’t exactly voice support either. The outrage was strong enough that FIFA announced Friday it was no longer proceeding with the plan , saying “ it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.” Let’s go through what some of what was said. UEFA No organization came out firing like UEFA, which includes five of the past six World Cup winners among its members and carries the largest weight when it comes to the sport’s finances. The Europeans not only criticized the idea, they quickly announced a unanimous vote to boycott all FIFA competitions until the plan is permanently tabled. From their statement : This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain. Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation. Concacaf The North American confederation also expressed major reservations around the idea , and also questioned the process as presented by FIFA. Infantino had set a Sept. 19 deadline for its member associations to make a decision on the plan, giving each country less than eight weeks to deliberate over what would have been the largest financial move in modern soccer history. To be fair, several countries clearly needed a lot less time than that 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 programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned. The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance. CONMEBOL CONMEBOL, representing South America, also pulls considerable weight. However, the organization diverged from UEFA and Concacaf with a statement that basically said nothing beyond that it cares about soccer and had requested additional information from FIFA before discussing the idea with its membership. A partial machine translation of the Spanish-language statement: CONMEBOL will continue to act with prudence, responsibility and a spirit of collaboration, contributing to the strengthening of world football exclusively through institutional channels and the principles of good governance. CONMEBOL calls for unity within the entire football family and to always put football above any other interest. AFC The Asian Football Confederation, which will be hosting the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, said it stands with UEFA and Concacaf against the proposal and said the situation warranted institutional reform. The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA’s proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA's flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE. The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position. CAF Like CONMEBOL, the African confederation declined to voice any support or opposition to Infantino’s plan. Instead, CAF president Patrice Motsepe promised to host a meeting of the CAF executive committee to evaluate the poroposal. CAF is committed to continue consulting and working together with its Member Associations, FIFA, other Football Confederations and stakeholders in support of increasing financial and other resources for the development and growth of football in Africa and worldwide. OFC The Oceanic Football Confederation closely resembled the CAF’s. They have seen the proposal. They will convene a meeting. They will talk about it. OFC remains committed to engaging constructively with its Member Associations, FIFA, fellow Confederations and other football stakeholders throughout the consultation process and in support of the continued development of football across Oceania and globally. Sepp Blatter Infantino’s predecessor as FIFA president made pretty clear that this is not something that would have happened under his watch, and even threw in an Infantino hashtag . The FIFA is not a private equity fund. It is an association with statutes, regulations, and a fiduciary responsibility to protect the global game. If you sell football's crown jewels to private investors, you also sell part of the game – especially its soul. Money matters, but it must never become everything. #FIFA #Football #GianniInfantino Carlos Cordeiro There wasn’t even unanimous support inside the walls of FIFA, as senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro resigned and fully distanced himself in a scathing statement earlier Friday: "As a Senior Advisor to the FIFA President, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup. "Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally. It is a bad deal for FIFA's Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game." FIFA In a Solomon Grundy-esque progression, FIFA announced its plan on Tuesday , issued a “clarification” statement on Thursday and killed the plan on Friday. Now we see how far the repercussions go for Infantino, who staked his legacy on this plan going through and could now face opposition for re-election in 2027.