Fifa has abandoned a proposal to sell stakes in a company that would manage the commercial and operational aspects of its competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. The plan was shelved after it was rejected by three continental confederations, with Uefa having warned that its member associations would boycott Fifa events if it went ahead.
Andy Burnham said the climbdown was the right decision. “It’s the right decision”, he told reporters in Manchester on Saturday.
Previous criticism
Burnham had previously described the plans as “outrageous” and said that bringing them forward made it clear that Gianni Infantino was “the wrong man to lead the organisation”.
The Conservatives welcomed the U-turn but said the affair raised questions about Infantino’s position. Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “As Infantino was prepared to entertain this proposal, it raises serious questions about his judgement and his fitness to lead Fifa.”
There was also high-level opposition inside Fifa, with senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour resigning over the plan. In a statement, they described it as “a project of one person”.
Uefa’s response
Uefa welcomed the decision to drop the proposal but said it believes Infantino has lost the trust of the football world through his actions. It had earlier called the plan a “shabby, back room, opaque deal”.
“We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account,” the body said after the plan was scrapped.
Uefa said it would work with its associations and other confederations in the coming weeks to “reflect” on how the situation had arisen and “devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again”. It added: “That review should be thorough and fundamental. No option should be off the table. The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”
Infantino: Proposal will not proceed
Infantino announced early on Saturday that “this proposal will not proceed” after it became clear the project had “created divisions”.
In a statement, he said: “Having listened carefully to all the views, 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. Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
He said he intended to “bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game”, with the objective of continuing to grow football everywhere, “particularly in those countries that mostly need our support”.
