Another Major Organization Opposes Infantino and His Plans

The organization highlighted a conflict between the regulatory and commercial roles of global football's governing body.

FIFA announced on Tuesday its intention to establish a subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), offering a 20 percent stake to investors.

"FIFA, without any prior discussion, announced a project to establish a commercial subsidiary to operate its competitions and sell stakes to private investors. The value of the World Cup and international football is a result of the collective effort of the entire football pyramid. Representative football relies on clubs releasing their players," stated the WLA in a Thursday declaration.

The organization, chaired by English Premier League CEO Richard Masters, fears that the pursuit of financial gain could lead to proposals such as increasing the number of matches at the World Cup and Club World Cup, or holding championships more frequently.

"While approximately one percent of the world's professional players participate in the World Cup, the remaining 130,000 professional footballers and all their clubs are inactive because national league competitions are halted. FIFA's responsibility therefore extends beyond the commercial success of its own competitions. As the global governing body of football, FIFA has a responsibility to protect the balance between national, continental, and global competitions and to consider the interests of the sport on a global level," DPA news agency quoted from the WLA statement.

The association also asserts that plans of such magnitude should not be handled solely by FIFA: "We urge FIFA to withdraw the project and reiterate that fundamental changes are needed in FIFA's decision-making processes. This is to ensure that decisions affecting the entire football pyramid are made through a transparent and inclusive process involving all stakeholders."

The international federation's plan has already drawn sharp criticism from the European football governing body (UEFA), former FIFA head Sepp Blatter, British politician Andy Burnham, and high-ranking German officials.