The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) has formally rejected FIFA’s proposal to sell stakes in the FIFA World Cup to private investors, becoming the latest football body to oppose the plan.
The decision was reached after representatives of all 41 Concacaf member associations met on Thursday to deliberate on the proposal.
According to reports, the meeting exposed growing unease among member nations over FIFA’s leadership under president Gianni Infantino.
A source familiar with the discussions said many delegates felt they were “losing confidence, or have lost confidence altogether” in Infantino. Another person with knowledge of the meeting acknowledged widespread concerns about FIFA’s current leadership style and its approach to governance and transparency, although they described the assessment as less severe.
Following the meeting, Concacaf issued an official statement confirming that its members had voted against the proposal.
The move comes shortly after UEFA, European football’s governing body, announced that its 55 member associations would boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if the governing body’s commercial plans proceed.
Explaining its position, Concacaf said: “During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies. In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned.
“The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.
“For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations have: Rejected the proposal.”
FIFA has maintained that the proposal is intended to establish a FIFA-owned commercial subsidiary capable of attracting long-term capital and commercial expertise while retaining FIFA’s ownership and control of the World Cup and its governance
Vanguard News
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