khaleejtimes.com President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa condemned FIFA’s proposed $20 billion World Cup commercial restructuring plan, criticizing the global governing body for failing to consult regional blocs and demanding extended due diligence before any vote takes place.
Football governance is careening toward an institutional collision after FIFA revealed plans to spin off the commercial engine of the World Cup into a new entity. The proposal, which aims to create a $20 billion subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise, would sell roughly a 20% stake in the commercial arm to private investors led by a firm owned by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner and son-in-law to U.S.
Asian Football Confederation Blasts FIFA Over Process and Timeline
The Asian Football Confederation stepped directly into the fray on Thursday, delivering a stark rebuke to FIFA leadership. In a scathing letter sent to the continent’s 47 member associations, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa criticized the global body for bypassing standard communication channels according to khaleejtimes.com.
“The AFC notes with great concern and disappointment that it was not consulted by Fifa at any level prior to the public announcement of this proposal, and nor has it received any detailed governance, financial or legal analysis of the proposal and its potential repercussions, which is totally unacceptable.”
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, AFC President
Sheikh Salman emphasized that the overarching framework of continental football relies entirely on solidarity, cooperation, and transparency, values he argued were undermined by FIFA’s unilateral actions. The Asian body joined a growing chorus of regional federations caught entirely off guard by the announcement.
The Financial Architecture and the Sept. 19 Deadline
At the heart of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s push is a lucrative financial incentive package designed to win over national federations. Infantino offered each of FIFA’s 211 member associations $40 million if they agree to the proposal by September 19, structured as part of a $10 billion total package becoming accessible from January 1, 2027 as detailed by khaleejtimes.com.
Should the membership reject the commercial restructuring, the financial fallback reverts to a previously established $2.7 billion package, which equates to roughly $10 million per member association. Infantino has set a tight timeline for acceptance, sparking fierce resistance from leaders who argue that sweeping commercial changes cannot be rushed.
Sheikh Salman warned that the initiative stands little chance of surviving without unanimous backing across the sport’s regional bodies. Such an initiative will not succeed without the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now,
he wrote in his letter to member associations via khaleejtimes.com.
Global Pushback From Europe, Leagues, and Player Unions
While FIFA needs only a majority vote from its 211 member associations and approval from the 37-member FIFA Council to advance the plan, the institutional backlash is severe. Europe’s governing body, UEFA, rejected the strategy outright, declaring that the soul of the sport is not a commodity reported sports.yahoo.com.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
UEFA, European governing body
The board of European Leagues—representing dozens of professional soccer competitions across Spain, France, England, Germany, and Italy—condemned the proposal as reckless and divisive. LaLiga President Javier Tebas labeled the initiative an electoral campaign financed by the future of football, while players’ unions including FIFPRO and Professional Footballers Australia warned that prioritizing private equity threatens the incentives underpinning athletic careers noted sports.yahoo.com and khaleejtimes.com.
Uncertain Alliances and the Road Ahead to September
Resistance is not uniform across every regional bloc. The Confederation of African Football stated it would assess and evaluate the proposal, while David Trunda, president of the Czech Republic’s federation, told Sky News that he could see the potential positive impact of FIFA’s intentions despite requiring more details according to sports.yahoo.com.
With CONCACAF and other regional bodies expressing sharp concern over due process, the upcoming weeks will test Infantino’s ability to secure a voting majority before the September 19 deadline. The unfolding battle leaves member federations caught between substantial multi-million dollar cash injections and warnings from continental leaders that the commercialization of the World Cup crosses an uncrossable line.
