Meknes – FIFA announced plans on Tuesday to launch a new $20 billion commercial subsidiary and sell up to 20% of it to outside investors, drawing swift and harsh criticism from UEFA.
Under the proposal, FIFA would group its business and event operations together under a new branch called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), Reuters reports.
While FIFA plans to bring in up to $4.2 billion from outside investors, the football global governing body will maintain full authority over the venture.
The plan will see outside investors buying small, non-controlling shares in FFE, while FIFA would keep complete control over all match calendars, competitions, and sporting rules.
According to Reuters, a venture capital firm run by Joshua Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law’s brother, is likely to be the main investor.
The move fuels the ongoing clash between FIFA and the governing body of European football. UEFA argues the plan threatens the integrity and tradition of the sport, whereas FIFA maintains that attracting private capital is necessary to fund global football development.
Defender of the plan FIFA President Gianni Infantino argued that global investment is essential to spreading the game’s financial benefits to every nation.
“Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value – and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game. Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”
UEFA criticism
UEFA strongly condemned the plan, warning that FIFA had gone too far and overstepped the boundaries of sports governance.
In a statement published on Tuesday, UEFA issued a blunt warning to football leaders around the globe and urged the entire sporting community to push back against FIFA’s plan.
“UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game,” UEFA stated.
The European football authority strongly rejected the idea, arguing that the sport belongs to everyone rather than FIFA alone.
“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,” it explained.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin’s absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup final signaled just how deep the rift has become between the two bodies.
By deciding not to attend the final, the UEFA leader underscored the continental body’s opposition to FIFA’s proposed changes to football governance.
