UEFA has launched a strong attack on FIFA’s proposal to open its flagship competitions, including the World Cup, to outside investors, warning the plan risks undermining football’s independence and could reshape the global game for commercial gain.
FIFA unveiled plans to establish a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would combine its commercial and event operations while allowing minority, non-controlling investments from external partners. The governing body said the initiative is designed to expand football development funding to more than $10 billion (£7.5 billion) and provide each of its 211 member associations with access to as much as $20 million (£15 million) in one-off development funding, pending approval by member nations.
If approved, US venture capital firm Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the investor group backing the new entity. Thrive was founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to the daughter of US President Donald Trump.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the organisation’s goal is to ensure that football’s commercial success benefits every nation rather than a select few.
He argued that while some parts of the sport have generated enormous commercial value, FIFA’s responsibility is to promote sustainable and inclusive growth across the global game. FIFA also stressed it would retain full control of FFE, as well as exclusive authority over governance, competitions, the international calendar and all sporting and regulatory matters.
However, the announcement has been met with fierce resistance from UEFA, which described the proposal as crossing a fundamental line. European football’s governing body warned that football’s governance should never become a commercial asset and criticised the lack of transparency surrounding who could ultimately benefit financially from the project.
The Football Association also revealed it had not been informed of the plans before FIFA made them public.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham joined the criticism, arguing that football belongs to supporters rather than investors and warning that selling a stake in the World Cup would amount to abandoning the sport’s core values.
FIFA has pointed to similar commercial structures adopted elsewhere in sport, noting that Premiership Rugby partnered with private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in 2018. UEFA, however, believes football’s global governing body is taking a far more significant step, one that could encourage further expansion of FIFA competitions in both size and frequency.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire said the proposal represents an opportunity for FIFA to generate even greater revenues but suggested outside investors would inevitably seek stronger financial returns. That, he warned, could increase pressure for measures such as a 64-team World Cup, more frequent editions of the tournament and an expanded Club World Cup.
Critics within English football are also concerned that larger international competitions could further congest an already crowded calendar, potentially forcing major tournaments into the winter months and increasing strain on domestic leagues, clubs and players.
Despite those concerns, many football associations are expected to view the proposed development funding favourably, with the promised $20 million representing a transformative sum for smaller nations even if it carries less significance for wealthier football markets.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at the next FIFA Council meeting later this year before potentially going to a vote of all 211 member associations at the FIFA Congress in Morocco next March. If approved, the decision could mark one of the most significant changes to football’s commercial structure in decades, with governing bodies, leagues, clubs and players all set to play a role in the debate over the sport’s future.