FIFA President Gianni Infantino's recent plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions have faced significant backlash, particularly concerning a perceived lack of transparency and consultation with member associations. The proposals, which reportedly involved private investment despite FIFA's substantial financial reserves, have led to a crisis of confidence among key stakeholders.
FIFA, a not-for-profit organization, possesses over $2 billion in financial reserves and was projected to announce record revenues of approximately $15 billion following the recent World Cup. This financial backdrop has raised questions about the necessity of seeking private investment for development initiatives, especially when some nations were reportedly offered as much as $40 million to sign onto Infantino's plan by a September 19 deadline.
Sources indicate that many senior FIFA officials, including vice-presidents, special advisers, and executives, were unaware of the plans as they were being developed. This lack of internal communication has fueled criticism regarding FIFA's governance structures.
UEFA has been a vocal opponent of the plans since they became public. In a statement following the dropping of the proposals, UEFA declared that the current FIFA leadership "has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family." UEFA recalled Infantino's 2016 presidential campaign promises of transparency, stating that "The money of FIFA is your money. It's not the money of the FIFA president. You are the national associations and the money of FIFA has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else." UEFA asserted that Infantino has failed to deliver on both transparency and serving football development.
This criticism of a lack of transparency was echoed by Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and one of FIFA's eight vice-presidents. He emphasized that future plans impacting global football should be presented to members in a "timely, transparent and meaningful manner." Sheikh Salman added, "The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game."
Anter Isaac, chair of Football Australia, also highlighted the importance of integrity in decision-making processes. "Trust is earned not simply through good decisions, but through the integrity of the processes that lead to them," Isaac stated. He further remarked, "Some principles, however, should never change. Integrity. Independence. Good governance. Transparency. Meaningful consultation. Due process. These are not constraints on progress."