CONCACAF joins UEFA in rejecting Gianni Infantino's controversial FIFA World Cup stake sale
· Yahoo Sports
The outlook for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his grand plan to essentially sell off stakes in the World Cup via the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise is becoming increasingly bleak.
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After UEFA announced that its 55 member nations had agreed to boycott all FIFA competitions as a symbol of their rejection of Infantino’s proposal, CONCACAF, the governing body of North American, Central American, and Caribbean soccer comprising 41 nations, has now followed suit. As such, a total of 96 of FIFA's 211 member nations have now openly turned down the plan, something which will likely lead to questions surrounding Infantino's future.
In a lengthy statement released following an emergency meeting on Thursday, CONCACAF flat out “rejected” FIFA’s plans, questioning the need for the FFE, but stopped short of stating member nations would boycott FIFA events.
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“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 organization founded on service, transparent governance, and the long-term stewardship of football,” the statement began.
“History has shown FIFA and the football family what happens when the custodians of the game lose sight of these values.
“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 programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned.
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“The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.
“For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations have: Rejected the proposal; Tasked their FIFA Council Members with engaging FIFA to determine how existing vast FIFA reserves could be used to increase FIFA Forward funding for football development across our region; and Tasked their FIFA Council Members with instructing the FIFA President to ensure that any matter follows the proper governance processes via staff and FIFA Council, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.
“Through these actions, Concacaf reaffirms that football's future—and its greatest asset—must remain in the hands of our football family.”
This news will come as a major blow to Infantino, who had already been called upon to resign by La Liga boss Javier Tebas.
Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation stated on Wednesday that it was "disappointed that a matter of such significance entered the public domain before the AFC family had been afforded the opportunity to examine and discuss it through the appropriate and established governance channels."
UEFA, led by Aleksander Čeferin, has been particularly vocal in its opposition -Credit:Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA, FIFA via Getty ImagesIt added, "While the AFC recognises the importance of exploring innovative approaches that can strengthen the future of global football, initiatives of this scale and consequence must be founded upon the principles of good governance, transparency and meaningful consultation. Decisions that may reshape the commercial and financial future of the game require comprehensive prior engagement with Confederations, Member Associations and other relevant stakeholders before any proposal is made to the appropriate decision-making body(ies).
"The AFC firmly believes that all stakeholders should be provided with sufficient information and adequate time to assess the proposal in full, including its governance, legal, commercial and strategic implications. Such a process is essential to ensuring that any decision reflects the collective interests of the global football community and reinforces confidence in FIFA's governance framework."
As for the Confederation of African Football, it too released a statement on Wednesday after being notified of the proposed FFE. Its stance was notably softer than that of other governing bodies - particularly UEFA - on the matter, explaining that "the CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, will host a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee next week, to inter-alia, assess and evaluate the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.
"CAF also encourages its Member Associations to examine the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and participate in the consultation process in accordance with CAF and FIFA’s regulations and established procedures.
"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."