Arsene Wenger says FIFA was right to abandon a controversial proposal to bring private investment into its competitions, describing the decision as “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had proposed creating a commercial subsidiary to manage the organisation’s major events, including the World Cup. Under the plan, outside investors would have been allowed to purchase stakes in the subsidiary.
Infantino offered each of FIFA’s 211 member associations $40m (£30m) if they supported the proposal. However, the plan triggered widespread opposition and was withdrawn after several days of criticism.
UEFA’s 55 member associations had threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments if the proposal went ahead, putting further pressure on Infantino to scrap it.
Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, said he had not been involved in drawing up the strategy and only learned about it through media reports. He issued a statement through FIFA a week after details of the investment proposal were first made public, calling for “transparency and integrity” in the administration of world football.
“The recent events at Fifa deserve some clarity from my side,” Wenger’s statement read.
“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
Wenger has worked at FIFA since 2019 in a role covering the use of data analysis in football, the organisation’s online training programmes and youth competitions.
The former Arsenal manager had previously backed Infantino’s proposal to stage the men’s World Cup every two years.
Wenger is among 18 FIFA officials named in a document preservation letter sent by UEFA to FIFA. The letter was issued as UEFA threatened legal action over the private investment plan.
Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, remains the only FIFA official to resign as a result of the controversy. He described the proposal as “a bad deal for football” and said it would “mortgage football’s future”.
Grafstrom says events were ‘difficult to comprehend and accept’
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom has also criticised the handling of the proposal, telling staff in an internal memo that the events of the previous week had been “difficult to comprehend and accept”.
Grafstrom is regarded as a close ally of Infantino. He became FIFA’s chief of staff after Infantino was elected president in 2016, before being elevated to the position of secretary general, one of the most influential roles in the organisation, in 2024.
“A sad and reproachable series of events – which were thankfully concluded with the project permanently abandoned – for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality,” Grafstrom wrote.
“We have all been thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept.
“I urge you to remain focused on what has always united us: serving football and serving our 211 member associations, hand in hand with all relevant stakeholders and in full compliance with the Fifa statutes and Fifa regulations.
“I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience. You do not need to worry.
“Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue, and that is why we should always keep our professionalism, sense of perspective and composure.”
FIFA has been approached for comment.
