World Cup: France, England FAs Join UEFA, Slam Infantino Over Plan to Sell FIFA Stakes

The Football Association of England and the French Football Federation have joined UEFA in opposing FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell minority stakes in the organisation’s commercial operations to private investors.

The two football bodies said they were not consulted before the proposal was announced and insisted they lacked sufficient information to support the initiative.

According to reports, Infantino has given FIFA’s 211 member associations until September 19 to endorse the proposal, which seeks to raise $4.2 billion by selling minority, non-controlling stakes in the Football Forward Enterprise (FFE).

FFE is the FIFA-owned subsidiary responsible for managing the organisation’s commercial rights, including broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing and ticketing.

FIFA says the plan would significantly increase funding for member associations and strengthen football development worldwide.

However, in a statement released on Wednesday, the England Football Association criticised the process, saying it had no prior knowledge of the proposal.

“We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is, and what conditions are attached,” the FA stated.

The English governing body added that it was deeply concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the proposal and would only comment further after receiving full details from FIFA.

French Football Federation President Philippe Diallo also expressed dissatisfaction, saying the organisation only became aware of the proposal through FIFA’s public statement.

Diallo questioned the rationale behind introducing private investment into FIFA’s commercial operations without first consulting member associations.

He said he would immediately engage with leaders of major European football federations and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin to discuss a coordinated response.

“We learned through a press release about a very significant project for which we have no details,” Diallo said.

FIFA has maintained that the proposed restructuring would allow member associations to benefit from more than $10 billion in development funding over the next four years.

The governing body, however, requires the support of more than half of its member associations before the proposal can be implemented.

The debate has intensified ahead of the September deadline, with several European football authorities demanding greater transparency before taking a position on the proposed commercial restructuring.