Uefa urged to take decisive action after Fifa unveils plan to sell World Cup stakes
European football authorities have responded with growing alarm to Fifa’s proposal to sell portions of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors. National associations face a 19 September deadline to accept an initial $20m (£15m) offer that critics say would amount to endorsement of the scheme.
As the World Cup reached its closing stages a senior figure in European football considered how Gianni Infantino might seek to deflect attention from the Folarin Balogun scandal. "He will just announce more funds for everyone," was the gist, although the tournament passed without any explanation of how Fifa would carve up its record $15bn (£11.2bn) haul. The proposal, revealed nine days after the final, has provoked criticism from the FA and drawn concern from Concacaf as officials and administrators react.
The measure announced by Infantino would allow private investors to acquire stakes in World Cup revenues, a move that has unsettled many within the game. The timing — coming shortly after the tournament’s conclusion — has left little breathing room for a united response from national associations. Senior personnel across Europe are reported to be scrambling to assess the implications and coordinate a reaction before the payment deadline.
FAs have until 19 September to decide whether to accept the upfront $20m (£15m) payment. Acceptance of that sum would, according to critics, effectively count as endorsement of the new commercial structure. With that window coinciding with what Fifa describes as a period in which many federations operate during their traditional breaks, the opportunity for deliberation and consultation is constrained.
The proposal has raised questions about governance and control of the sport’s flagship competition, not least because Fifa reported a record $15bn (£11.2bn) in World Cup-related revenue from the tournament. Critics argue the plan would alter how those proceeds are managed and who benefits from them; supporters within Fifa present it as a commercial innovation. So far, public pushback has included prominent bodies such as the FA, and Concacaf has also voiced reservations.
Officials within European football are weighing their options as the deadline approaches, conscious that any acceptance of the payment will be interpreted as support for Infantino’s approach. Coordination among associations is complicated by the short timeframe and the summer scheduling of many federations’ activities. For those opposed to the sale of World Cup stakes, converting criticism into concrete, collective measures is now the central challenge.
The coming weeks will determine whether criticism of Fifa’s plan remains rhetorical or becomes actionable. With a fixed decision date and a substantial initial payment on offer, associations must decide whether to accept the funds and the implications that acceptance would carry.