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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has joined UEFA and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football in opposing FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s controversial proposal to sell minority stakes in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup and other global competitions.
In a statement issued on Friday, the AFC said it stood “in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, arguing that the proposal lacked the broad consensus required for a decision of such global significance. The confederation warned that any move capable of undermining the unity and universal character of the FIFA World Cup must be reconsidered.
“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,” the AFC said, according to the BBC.
“Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered.”
The AFC’s position significantly weakens the prospects of the proposal securing approval if it is eventually put to a vote before FIFA’s 211 member associations.
Under the voting threshold outlined by Infantino, the proposal would require the support of at least 106 member associations to pass. However, with UEFA’s 55 members, CONCACAF’s 41 members and the AFC’s 46 members now aligned against the plan, opposition already exceeds the number needed to block the proposal.
The Asian governing body also criticised FIFA’s handling of the initiative, accusing the organisation of determining the direction of a major commercial project before consulting key stakeholders.
According to the BBC, the AFC said FIFA’s failure to engage member associations beforehand had “exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed.”
It further argued that confederations, national football associations and even FIFA’s own governing bodies, including the FIFA Council, had been sidelined throughout the process.
“The AFC calls upon FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed through proper consultation, meaningful engagement and appropriate oversight by FIFA’s statutory bodies,” the confederation added.
The latest development follows UEFA’s unanimous decision on Thursday to boycott future FIFA World Cups if the governing body proceeds with the commercial restructuring proposal. CONCACAF also rejected the plan, citing concerns over transparency, governance and the absence of proper consultation.
Despite the growing opposition, FIFA insisted on Friday that it would continue discussions on the proposal, maintaining that “nobody is selling football.” The governing body argued that recent consultations had been disrupted by inaccurate media reports and stressed that the proposed commercial subsidiary would not compromise either the governance of FIFA or the integrity of the sport.
Under Infantino’s proposal, FIFA intends to establish a commercial subsidiary that would manage its flagship competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. Minority stakes in the entity would then be offered to private investors to unlock additional commercial value while FIFA retains control over football governance.
However, critics across global football argue that the proposal risks introducing private influence into the governance of the sport and could pave the way for greater commercialisation of the World Cup.
While Europe, North and Central America, the Caribbean and Asia have now openly rejected the proposal, South America’s governing body, CONMEBOL, has yet to announce its position. The Confederation of African Football, CAF and the Oceania Football Confederation, OFC are expected to deliberate on the matter during meetings scheduled for August.
With resistance mounting across three of football’s biggest confederations, pressure is increasing on FIFA to either substantially revise the proposal or abandon it altogether before it reaches the voting stage.
