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The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has rejected FIFA’s controversial proposal to sell minority stakes in its flagship competitions, dealing another setback to President Gianni Infantino’s ambitious plan to commercialise the governing body’s premier tournaments.
The decision was reached during a meeting of CONCACAF and its 41 member associations on Thursday, although the confederation stopped short of following UEFA’s decision to boycott future FIFA competitions should the proposal be approved.
According to Reuters, the regional football body expressed strong reservations over both the substance of the proposal and the process through which it was introduced.
In a statement issued after the meeting, CONCACAF said its members had raised “deep concerns” about the lack of due process surrounding the initiative, describing the consultation period as inadequate and questioning the governance framework behind the proposal.
The confederation said the concerns centred on the short deadline imposed by FIFA, the absence of proper review by the organisation’s relevant governance bodies and what it described as insufficient transparency throughout the consultation process.
“The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance,” CONCACAF said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
“For these reasons, CONCACAF and its 41 Member Associations have rejected the proposal.”
FIFA’s proposal seeks to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial subsidiary that would oversee the governing body’s major revenue-generating activities, including broadcasting rights, sponsorships, ticketing, licensing and event operations for competitions such as the FIFA World Cup.
Under the plan, FIFA would retain majority ownership and exclusive control over football governance, competitions and regulations, while selling minority, non-controlling stakes to selected long-term investors. The initiative is expected to raise as much as $4.2 billion later this year to expand football development funding globally.
However, the proposal has generated widespread opposition across the football community.
Earlier on Thursday, UEFA unanimously voted to boycott all FIFA competitions—including the men’s and women’s World Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup—if the proposal is approved by FIFA’s member associations. European football’s governing body argued that the World Cup should never be treated as a commercial asset or investment product.
CONCACAF, while rejecting the proposal, has adopted a more measured position by declining to endorse a boycott at this stage. Instead, the confederation has focused its criticism on governance, transparency and consultation, signalling that FIFA must undertake a more inclusive decision-making process before proceeding with any structural changes.
The latest rejection represents another significant challenge for Infantino, whose administration has defended the proposal as a means of unlocking greater commercial value from FIFA competitions while increasing financial support for football development worldwide.
According to Reuters, the proposal remains under consultation with FIFA’s 211 member associations, with the governing body continuing to seek support despite mounting resistance from several continental confederations and football stakeholders.
