FIFA has officially abandoned its controversial initiative to sell a stake in the ownership of the World Cup to private investors. The governing body’s decision to scrap the proposal has drawn an enthusiastic response from Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Despite welcoming the climbdown, the AFC chief issued a stern warning regarding future governance. He stressed that any upcoming initiatives capable of influencing the global game must be handled with absolute transparency and accompanied by thorough consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
The scrapped blueprint originally centred on the creation of a dedicated commercial entity. Under the initial framework, FIFA intended to divest roughly twenty percent of this new commercial unit to private financial backers, targeting a revenue raise of approximately 4.2 billion US dollars. This proposed arm was designed to oversee the commercial and operational dimensions of FIFA’s premier tournaments, most notably the flagship men’s football World Cup.
The proposal first surfaced on a Tuesday, immediately sparking fierce resistance from the AFC alongside other regional confederations. Member bodies voiced profound frustration, noting that the sweeping commercial overhaul had been devised entirely behind closed doors without prior dialogue or warning given to regional federations.
Faced with a mounting wave of international criticism, FIFA President Gianni Infantino opted to reverse course. He confirmed that the organisation had decided to shelf the proposal after listening carefully to the collective concerns raised across the football ecosystem.
Following the formal withdrawal, the AFC released an official statement penned by Sheikh Salman. The correspondence emphasised that any future policy capable of altering the landscape of international football must be communicated in a timely, transparent, and effective manner. He noted that plans should always be laid before the FIFA Council, member associations, and regional confederations well in advance.
Sheikh Salman reiterated that the long-term prosperity of global football relies heavily on mutual dialogue, collaborative engagement, and a deep respect for the established structures of the sport. Just days prior, in a confidential letter addressed to member federations last Thursday, he had dismissed the method by which FIFA initially introduced the proposal as wholly unacceptable.
Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the AFC functions as one of six autonomous confederations operating under the global umbrella of FIFA. The regional body shoulders the critical responsibility of governing national team fixtures and club-level competitions spanning across Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
