Rabat – “Football is not for sale,” French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari has stressed, lambasting Infantino’s plan to sell shares to private investors.
The Times revealed yesterday that FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, wants to sell shares in the World Cup to groups of private investors, including the Trump family.
The French minister made it clear that there are limits that must not be exceeded, arguing that football should never be reduced to a commercial product.
For Ferrari, the sport should instead be recognized as a shared cultural heritage that belongs above all to the players, clubs, federations and the millions of supporters whose commitment and passion sustain the game.
Meanwhile, the French minister backed UEFA’s campaign against the proposed commercial company, adding France’s support to the growing opposition.
“Faced with a project that could profoundly transform the balance of our sport, European players must speak with one voice,” Ferrari said. “The values of football, its integrity and its associative model must remain at the heart of every decision.”
Marina described FIFA’s decision to open its commercial operations to private investors as a significant shift that could have far-reaching consequences for the governance and future direction of global football.
She also argued that a project of this scale should not move forward without greater transparency and meaningful consultation with national federations and other key stakeholders in football.
