FIFA issued a blistering attack on the media in its late-night response to furious backlash over the controversial plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors.
According to the group’s late-night statement, ‘erroneous reporting’ about the plan ‘disrupted [a] planned consultation process.’
What’s more, FIFA’s statement insists the group is not selling out the sport: ‘Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.’
The response from FIFA came after European nations agreed to boycott the World Cup over FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan. CONCACAF, including USA and Canada, followed by rejecting the proposal.
‘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,’ the FIFA statement began.
‘We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has faced calls to quit over a plan to sell World Cup shares
FIFA issued a late-night response to furious backlash over the controversial plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors by blaming the media for the uproar
’Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports,’ the statement continued. ‘We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA [FIFA Member Associations] has the ability to express its vote based on facts.’
The statement concludes with a mention of the ‘principles’ that ‘underpin the FFE proposal,’ including ‘unprecedented development funding, truly global ownership of the commercial opportunities of our sport, and full self-determination through a democratic process for all MAs.’
FIFA’s statement was released in the early hours of Friday morning at the organization’s headquarters in Switzerland.
The organization did not specify which reports about the plan were erroneous.
FIFA’s proposal was in disarray almost immediately as England joined 89 other nations in boycotting future World Cups. On Thursday afternoon, England and the other 54 UEFA nations reached a unanimous agreement following crisis talks over FIFA’s proposals to generate $4 billion (£3.1billion) in investment for FIFA tournaments.
UEFA was backed by the 35 FIFA-registered nations of CONCACA, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, who also rejected the plans – although they stopped short of threatening to withdraw from FIFA competitions.
Sources told the Daily Mail that opposition to Infantino’s FIFA presidency is growing within CONCACAF, with the vast majority of member associations having already lost confidence in his leadership.
To pass the proposal, Infantino would need the backing of 106 member associations. Currently, 90 FIFA members are publicly opposed to the plans. Sixteen more rebels would make it impossible for Infantino to pass his plans.
