The 41 federations of the entity voted unanimously against the FIFA Forward Enterprise project. The initiative already has 96 opposing federations and complicates its approval
According to reports, the project would need a simple majority (at least 106 favorable votes) to be approved by the FIFA Congress, in addition to the support of the organization's Council. With this scenario, the plan faces an increasingly complex outlook.
The proposal from FIFA to reform the commercial structure of its competitions has faced a new setback. The Confederation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean Football (CONCACAF) announced on Thursday that its 41 member federations unanimously rejected the project promoted by Gianni Infantino, deepening the conflict that had already escalated hours earlier with the opposition from UEFA.
In a statement, the organization was clear in stating its position. "CONCACAF and its 41 member associations have rejected the proposal. CONCACAF reaffirms that the future of football and its main asset must remain in the hands of the football family", it expressed.
The confederation explained that during the extraordinary meeting, its members expressed "deep concerns" about the way the project was presented. Among the main criticisms, they pointed out "the absence of due process", the limited time given to analyze the initiative, and the lack of review by FIFA's governing bodies. Additionally, they questioned the need to resort to private capital after the last World Cup was the most profitable in history.
In this regard, CONCACAF demanded greater transparency in decision-making and requested that any modification of such magnitude respects the governance mechanisms established in FIFA's statutes.
This rejection adds to the stance recently taken by the 55 federations that make up UEFA, which even threatened not to participate in competitions organized by FIFA while the project remains in effect. With both confederations aligned, the initiative already accumulates 96 potential votes against among the 211 member associations.
The initiative promoted by Gianni Infantino involves the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary responsible for managing the commercial rights and operations of the main tournaments organized by FIFA, such as the World Cup and the Club World Cup.
The organization proposes to open between 20% and 30% of the capital of the new company to private investors with minority stakes and no control capacity. According to FIFA, the goal is to raise funds to increase investment in football development through the FIFA Forward program, increasing the funds that national associations receive.
According to the entity, the creation of the FFE does not imply selling the World Cup or ceding governance of international football, as FIFA would retain control of the company and allocate all net profits to infrastructure programs, national team development, and grassroots and women's football growth.
Outside of UEFA and CONCACAF, the other confederations have yet to define a definitive stance. The African Football Confederation (CAF) announced that it would analyze the project in an upcoming meeting, while the Asian Confederation (AFC) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) stated that they would study the proposal before issuing an official decision. The only one that has still not signaled its position is CONMEBOL.
