Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell off the World Cup appears to be dead in the water after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing the plot.
Overnight, FIFA issued a statement, doubling down on plans to sell £3.1 billion in shares for FIFA tournaments after UEFA announced a boycott of competitions while CONCACAF opposed the plans.
But the AFC has now chosen to stand with its intercontinental counterparts, leaving Infantino’s project – and potentially his FIFA presidency – facing a terminal threat.
136 FIFA members are now publicly against the proposals, taking the dissidents above the required 106 threshold to block the plans.
In a statement, the AFC said: ‘The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA’s proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA’s flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE.Â
‘The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position.
Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell off the World Cup appears to be dead in the water after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing the plot
‘Against this backdrop, and in light of the clear positions expressed by UEFA and CONCACAF, as well as the unprecedented divisions that have emerged across the football world, the AFC believes that the proposed FFE cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward.Â
‘The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world’s leading football nations.Â
‘Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered.’
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