FIFA Dangles $40m On Member Associations To Support Investment Plan

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to all 211 member associations saying they will receive $40m (£30m) if they back his controversial plan to sell off stakes in its major competitions.

Infantino has set a deadline of 19 September for football federations to accept his plans if they want to access an initial $20m (£15m).

Football’s world governing body has said it wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, with external investors able to buy stakes in it.

The incentive to nations comes less than 24 hours after the bombshell statement rocked football’s foundations, quickly leading to condemnation from Europe, Asia and North America.

It is understood Infantino even left some of FIFA’s eight vice-presidents in the dark about his plan, which it is claimed could raise $10bn (£7.52bn).

Infantino has signed a five-page letter outlining the merits of his proposal. The letter states that if member associations respond positively by the deadline, $20m will be “available immediately” from 1 January 2027.

FIFA confirms the money will come from “liquidating a minority portion” of its stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary company set up to maximise commercial revenue that will include private investors.

Although FIFA suggested Infantino gave a broad outline of his proposal at a council meeting just before the World Cup final earlier this month, others who were present rejected this strongly.

They say Infantino merely offered an aspirational vision for the future around maximising revenue streams.

They now believe they were duped, with the events of the past 24 hours leading them to conclude negotiations have all been completed and that they are now being presented with a fait accompli.

“It is my duty and responsibility as Fifa president to present such game-changing opportunities to you, our members,” said Infantino.

“It is equally my duty and responsibility to ensure such proposals are sufficiently complete and feasible, replete with substantiated figures and clear terms to assist you in the decision-making process.”

Opposition to the plan has been fierce, with many citing the lack of due process as the first point of their anger.

An FA spokeswoman said, “We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is and what conditions are attached.

“Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved.

“When the proposal is shared in the full and transparent way now promised by Fifa, we will make our views clear and comment further.”

European football’s governing body UEFA took the remarkable step of issuing a response to FIFA’s plans before they had even been published on Tuesday, reacting to initial newspaper reports.

“UEFA condemned the plans, saying they “crossed a line.”

It intends to hold an emergency meeting of all 55 members later this week to work on a plan of action.

Given the strength of feeling, it would be a surprise if the possibility of a boycott was not at least raised.

For UEFA, the situation is complex. While the confederation accounts for only a quarter of FIFA’s 211-country membership, it includes most of the world’s most successful teams.

Six of the eight quarter-finalists – including winners Spain – at this summer’s World Cup were European; in the 2022 and 2018 editions, the figures were five and six respectively.

UEFA knows any competition FIFA puts together would be far less valuable without its members’ involvement.

FIFA’s argument that it is compelled to consider proposals that would help grow the game globally has fuelled fears about expansion at a time when plans for a 64-team World Cup in 2030 – to be hosted by six countries across three confederations – are gathering pace.

That would carry major implications for the football calendar, which is already squeezed, partly due to the expansion of European club competitions.

One senior source within the English game said the threat posed by FIFA’s plan is among the biggest the sport has faced, comparing it to the proposed European Super League, which caused major controversy in 2021 and was scrapped within 48 hours. It seems unlikely FIFA will back down in similar fashion over this.

This latest escalation extends a difficult relationship between FIFA and UEFA, which responded angrily to attempts to host the World Cup every two years when the idea was floated by former Arsenal manager and FIFA’s current chief of global football development, Arsène Wenger, in 2021.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin boycotted the World Cup final this month in protest over a number of controversial decisions, including US President Donald Trump’s intervention to help turn USA forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 encounter with Belgium.

BBC