Fifa President Gianni Infantino called the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup a proposal but “not an obligation” after the idea provoked a furious response from football authorities.
Fifa announced plans this week to create a $20 billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and its other events, and said it will offer stakes of up to 20 per cent in it to external investors.
The proposal drew strong criticism from the sport's regional confederations, who said they were blindsided by the plan from the world governing body.
But Infantino said strengthening the commercial side of the game is the natural next step in this evolution.
“It’s part of a democratic process – a consultation process – and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation, and, as I said, it kicks off the consultation process,” Infantino said in a video released by Fifa.
Fifa is one of the world's wealthiest sporting organisations, generating billions of dollars in revenue, largely from broadcasting rights, sponsorship and other commercial deals linked to the World Cup.
Infantino insisted in his remarks that fans will remain the cornerstone of the game and that Fifa will retain full control of its events.
“Fifa obviously continues to govern football without any external interference,” said Infantino. “And the flagship tournament it organises, like the Fifa World Cup or the Fifa Women's World Cup, will always remain.”
Infantino has given the organisation's 211 member federations until September 19 to support his plan.
Uefa seeks unified position
Among the fiercest critics of the plan was Uefa, Europe's governing body, who issued two separate condemnations in the space of 24 hours.
President Aleksander Ceferin has called an emergency meeting on Thursday (5pm UAE time) in which Uefa's member associations will look to agree upon a unified position.
Various reports suggest that there is a willingness among European nations to threaten to boycott the World Cup and Fifa's other competitions if Infantino does not back down. While the next men's World Cup is a long way in the future in 2030, the next women's tournament is due to take place in summer 2027 in Brazil.
Uefa, Concacaf (Central America) and the AFC (Asia) all raised concerns about transparency and the limited opportunity for stakeholders to study the proposal.
“Today we have learned of Fifa's deadline to associations to support their proposals or have the one-off payout offer withdrawn. This says everything you need to know about this plan,” Uefa said in a statement.
“Fifa cannot continue to use our sport to enrich themselves and their friends. We can grow the game correctly. It's time to prioritise associations, clubs, leagues, players and fans.”
While the AFC has 47 member associations, Concacaf has 41. Together with Uefa's 55 members, that brings the total to 143 of 211 member associations whose confederations either criticised the proposal or expressed concerns about it.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said on Wednesday its Executive Committee will meet next week to “evaluate” the proposal. Conmebol (South America), and the OFC (Oceania) have yet to officially comment.
