FIFA has responded with a defiant statement to UEFA's threat to boycott the World Cup, saying it has no intention of selling football and confirming that its consultation on the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) will continue.
The plan, designed to allow private investors to buy stakes in a World Cup commercial entity, has provoked fierce opposition from European football bodies since details emerged.
UEFA threatens to boycott the World Cup
Plans for FFE were first reported in The Times and the Financial Times on Tuesday, prompting an angry response from UEFA. The governing body's 55 member associations said they would boycott the World Cup and would not take part in any FIFA tournament until the proposal was withdrawn.
In a statement released on Friday morning, FIFA said: "We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday."
It continued: "We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation." The statement added that the planned consultation process had been disrupted by incorrect media reports and that FIFA will proceed with it so each member association can vote based on facts.
FIFA: 'Nobody is selling football'
The statement went on: "FFE has been proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries, and that this does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself. Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain."
Opposition grows beyond UEFA
CONCACAF, which represents 41 nations in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has also made clear its opposition, saying it "rejected the proposal".
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has publicly supported the plan. An investor group led by Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is waiting in the wings to take a minority stake in the new venture.
However, the promise of large returns to national associations if FFE goes ahead is unlikely to be fulfilled while European teams are threatening to withdraw from tournaments. European and world leagues have also voiced opposition, fearing that commercial pressures could lead FIFA to stage bigger and more frequent tournaments, further encroaching on domestic calendars.
UEFA described its opposition as "unanimous and unequivocal" and warned: "No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership."
FIFA's statement added that "each MA should be allowed to review the proposal and have a say in shaping their own future".
