Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that “football does not belong to investors” and the World Cup “was never anyone’s to sell”, following FIFA’s announcement of plans to create a private company to manage its tournaments.
Writing on X, Burnham said: “Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.
“The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will.”
FIFA Forward Enterprise
FIFA, football’s global governing body, announced on Tuesday that it is seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would combine the sale of FIFA’s commercial rights with the operational delivery of its tournaments. FIFA stated that creating FFE would significantly increase football development funding to national associations, bringing total planned spending on development to over 10 billion US dollars (£7.5bn) over the next four years.
FIFA said that, if the proposal is approved, the plan is to “carefully select long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests in FFE”. It revealed that Thrive Eternal, a company launched in April by Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would lead the proposed investor group for FFE.
UEFA and FSA opposition
The new body, which would be open to private investors, was quickly condemned by Europe’s governing body UEFA. In a statement, UEFA said: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every national football association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game. The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
The Football Supporters Association (FSA) also opposed the scheme. The announcement came just weeks after the World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. An FSA statement said: “Many supporters came home from the World Cup believing FIFA couldn’t do much more to ruin everything we love about football’s greatest tournament. Less than two weeks after the final ball was kicked, they’ve shown they can always find a new low.
“Like so many across the game, we are furious. We will examine the detail as it emerges, but we will do everything in our power as fans to fight back against the long line of decisions made that seriously threaten the future of football for short-term commercial gain. This cannot become another step in Gianni Infantino’s attempt to reshape football without regard for supporters or the wider game. We fully support UEFA’s statement. Every governing body, national association, league, club, supporter and stakeholder now has a responsibility to stand together and protect the future of our game.”
