The Football Association has issued a strongly worded statement questioning the transparency and governance of FIFA’s controversial new commercial project, which would see private investors offered shares in the World Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is seeking backing from the organisation’s 211 member associations for a new financial structure designed to boost the governing body’s commercial activities and attract private-sector capital. Under the plan, stakes in the World Cup would be sold to external investors in the form of shares.
The proposal has already triggered unease across world football, with several national associations saying they are worried about the process being followed and the limited amount of information made available so far.
In its official response, the Football Association said it had been left in the dark over key details and raised “serious doubts” over how the project has been developed inside FIFA.
“The FA was not aware of this proposal at all and we have no substantive detail, particularly regarding its exact nature and the conditions attached to it,” the statement read.
“In light of the very limited information currently available to us, we are extremely concerned about the apparent lack of process and governance that has allowed this to happen, as well as the substance and principles that seemingly are at stake.”
FA demands clarity from FIFA
The FA stressed it would only be in a position to give a full view once FIFA had publicly set out the proposal in full, including its structure, conditions and safeguards.
“When the proposal is published in its entirety and in a fully transparent manner, as FIFA has promised, we will share our views and provide further comments,” the statement added.
FIFA has presented the initiative as a way to strengthen its economic base and open the door to major private investment, using the World Cup as the central asset in a new commercial vehicle. However, the idea of selling equity in football’s most prestigious tournament has generated widespread concern about the long‐term implications for sporting independence and control.
Mounting pressure on Infantino
Infantino is already facing growing resistance from within the game’s major confederations. UEFA and CONCACAF have both criticised the direction of the project and the way it has been handled, amid suggestions from within those bodies that a World Cup boycott could be considered if concerns are not addressed.
That opposition adds to the pressure on FIFA’s leadership to provide detailed documentation, clear governance guarantees and a transparent decision‐making process before any vote by member associations.
While FIFA has pledged to clarify the full terms of the plan, the FA’s intervention underlines the depth of scepticism among leading national associations over the principle of part‐privatising the World Cup and the manner in which the project has been advanced so far.
