Heraldo de Madrid - FIFA plan hit by senior advisor resigning, AFC opposition

A damaging blow to FIFA president Gianni Infantino came with the later resignation of a senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro, who issued an excoriating statement.

"As a senior advisor to the FIFA president, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup," wrote Cordeiro, a former head of the US Soccer Federation.

"Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally.

"It is a bad deal for FIFA's member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."

His resignation and the AFC statement came hours after FIFA vowed to press ahead with an "open and democratic" consultation on the plan.

The statement followed a pledge by Europe's governing body UEFA to boycott the World Cup if FIFA went ahead with its plan which set alarm bells ringing within the AFC.

"The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA's proposal," the Kuala Lumpur-based body said in a statement.

"The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game," said the AFC, which represents 47 member nations, including Australia, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

FIFA said in a statement all of its member associations should have a chance to consider the plan.

"Nobody is selling football," it said.

"This is not something FIFA would ever entertain."

It also said it had heard feedback from UEFA and CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North and Central America, which said all 41 of its member associations had rejected FIFA's proposal to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup.

The world body also said its planned consultation process had been "disrupted by incorrect media reports".

"We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation," FIFA's statement said.

"We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each (member association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts," it said.

FIFA has said the plan it announced on Tuesday could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the commercial subsidiary it proposed to run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

If approved, the project could provide each of FIFA's 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027 and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8.0 million to $20 million.

Private investors would be allowed under the proposal to acquire stakes in the company but would remain minority shareholders.

- 'Time for a hydration break' -

UEFA said in an earlier statement none of its national teams would participate in any FIFA competition "for so long as these proposals remain alive".

"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product... No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale," it said.

Infantino had described the initiative on Wednesday as a "golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally".

However, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who boycotted the World Cup final to show unhappiness with FIFA, said there was no place in world football for such a model.

"Football's future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return," he said.

"Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain."

The European Union praised UEFA on Thursday for "defending the integrity of the game".

UEFA also received the stamp of approval from Chelsea's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso, who was a member of the 2010 World Cup-winning side.

"We have seen a great World Cup, and some things they (should) stay the same way. So it's good to defend the interests from other people," he said in Sydney, where the London club are on a pre-season tour.

CONCACAF members, including the three co-hosts of the recent World Cup, unanimously rejected the proposal on Thursday.

On a lighter note a beer brand that is a major UEFA sponsor posted an advert with the line 'Time for a hydration break, Gianni? Probably,' referring to the pauses in each half for the players at the World Cup.

K.Bravo--HdM