Rabat – Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has also criticized FIFA’s handling of its proposal to sell ownership stakes in the FIFA World Cup to private investors, arguing that the governing body failed to consult continental confederations before advancing the plan.
In a letter addressed to AFC member associations, Al Khalifa expressed “deep concern and disappointment” over FIFA’s decision to move forward with the proposal without engaging the Asian confederation at any stage of the process.
In particular, he noted that the AFC had not received any detailed administrative, financial, or legal assessment of the proposal or its potential implications, describing the lack of transparency as “completely unacceptable.”
Al Khalifa warned that FIFA’s approach risks undermining the foundations of continental football built on principles of solidarity, cooperation, and transparency, stressing that decisions affecting the future of the global game should not be taken without the involvement of all continental confederations.
Such initiatives require broad consultation and collective support, said the AFC president, arguing that strategic decisions made without collaboration do not serve the long-term interests of world football.
FIFA unveiled the proposal last Tuesday as part of a plan to establish a new $20 billion entity to manage the FIFA World Cup and several of its other competitions.
