FIFA: Everyone Has the Right to Express Dissent! We Reaffirm Our Commitment to Democratic Discussion

Amidst the recent uproar and sharp criticism directed at FIFA over its unprecedented plans to commercialize upcoming World Cups, the organization, led by Gianni Infantino, has issued an official statement addressing the controversy.

Early this morning European time, a lengthy statement appeared on FIFA's official X (formerly Twitter) page, where officials attempted to clarify the situation and de-escalate the palpable tension.

All 55 football federations under the umbrella of UEFA had previously announced their intention to withdraw from the World Cup finals if Infantino and his team proceeded with the proposed commercial changes. Late last night, CONCACAF, the North American football confederation, joined their European counterparts in solidarity.

Curiously, FIFA's statement indicates that none of the decisions made by the legal entity governing the sport's most prestigious event were final, but rather merely proposals. A broad discussion is still pending, with the primary blame for the breakdown in decorum being placed on the media sector by football officials.

The future direction of this entire issue remains to be seen. Below, you can find the full text published by FIFA.

• FIFA acknowledges and respects publicly expressed opinions and concerns.
  FIFA reaffirms its commitment to open and democratic consultation.
  Inaccurate media reports disrupted the planned consultation process.

• We have heard the feedback provided by the relevant confederations regarding the proposed creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), and we wish to address the questions that have arisen following initial media reports on Tuesday.

• We respect the publicly expressed opinions and concerns and reaffirm our commitment to open and democratic consultation.

Our planned consultation process was disrupted by inaccurate media reports. We will continue with this consultation process to ensure every member association has the opportunity to cast their vote based on facts.

The FFE is proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial potential of football in their respective countries, and that this does not come at the expense of either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself.

Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever consider.

Everyone has the right to express dissent and seek further clarification, but no single entity can claim to represent all 211 member associations worldwide. Every member association must be allowed to consider the proposal and have a say in shaping its own future. These are the democratic principles of FIFA.

Under the proposal:

• The FFE would transfer FIFA’s commercial and operational activities for event delivery into a subsidiary organization, which FIFA would permanently own and control.

• The commercial value created would be shared among all 211 member associations, enabling each to make significant investments in football within their respective countries.

• Under the proposal, each member association would receive $20 million in FIFA Forward Development funding over the next four years (2027-2030), regardless of their individual support.

• This increased funding would come from additional revenues generated by the FFE through more efficient management of FIFA’s commercial operations, benefiting all member associations.

• The FIFA Fast Forward program represents a one-time development funding of an additional $20 million for each member association – participation would be entirely voluntary for all member associations if the FFE proposal moves forward – and would be funded through external investment, without relinquishing control and without in any way changing FIFA’s governance structure.

• Without the support of the majority of member associations, FIFA’s commercial activities would remain unchanged. The FFE would not be created.

These components represent the starting point of the consultation process and are subject to discussion as part of it. This may include approval, rejection, or amendment – in whole or in part.

At the core of the FFE proposal are the following principles: unprecedented development funding, truly global ownership of our sport's commercial opportunities, and full self-determination through a democratic process for all member associations.