The Football Association says it is "deeply concerned" about Fifa's plan to sell stakes in its major competitions, with Uefa's 55 member nations set to hold an emergency meeting later this week amid growing anger at the proposals. Senior figures within the game, including at least two of Fifa's eight vice-presidents, were not consulted before the plans were released on Tuesday.
Football's world governing body says it wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, and that external investors will be able to buy stakes in it. The move has prompted fears that too much influence in those competitions could be handed to private investors, potentially driving a massive expansion of the men's and women's World Cup and the Club World Cup.
Why are football leaders concerned?
The concern is that Fifa's plans could alter the structure and frequency of its major tournaments while increasing private influence over the game's biggest competitions. That has led to fears that the men's and women's World Cup and the Club World Cup could be played more often and include more participants, which would have major implications for an already squeezed football calendar.
An FA spokeswoman said:
"We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is and what conditions are attached.
Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved.
When the proposal is shared in the full and transparent way now promised by Fifa, we will make our views clear and comment further."
The plans were released on Tuesday after reports initially appeared in the Financial Times and The Times. Fifa said it would provide the proposal in a full and transparent way, but the lack of consultation has already angered senior figures in the game.
Could Uefa consider a boycott?
Uefa's emergency meeting will be held virtually later this week and will give members an opportunity to agree a plan of action. Given the strength of feeling, and the fact that the FA says it was not consulted before Fifa released its proposals shortly after Uefa's statement became public, it would be a surprise if the possibility of a boycott was not at least raised.
Uefa represents only about a quarter of Fifa's 211-country membership, but it includes most of the world's most successful teams. Six of the eight quarter-finalists at this summer's World Cup were European, including winners Spain. At the 2022 and 2018 tournaments, the figures were five and six respectively.
Uefa knows any competition Fifa organises would be far less valuable if its members did not take part. That gives the European body significant leverage, even though it cannot match Fifa in numerical membership.
What is Fifa arguing?
Fifa says it is compelled to examine proposals that could help it grow the game globally. It has argued that the plan could extend global development funding to $10bn (£7.5bn) and offer each of its 211 member associations the opportunity to access up to $20m (£15m) in one-off capital.
That has intensified concerns that, in the search for greater revenue, Fifa's major competitions could be expanded further. The football calendar is already squeezed, partly because of the expansion of European club competitions.
One senior source within the English game told that the threat posed by Fifa's plan is one of the biggest the game has faced and is on a par with the European Super League, which caused huge controversy in 2021 and was scrapped within 48 hours. It seems improbable, however, that Fifa will back down in the same manner.
How has the relationship between Fifa and Uefa developed?
This latest escalation extends a difficult relationship between Fifa and Uefa. Uefa reacted angrily in 2021 when the idea of staging the World Cup every two years was floated by former Arsenal manager and Fifa's current chief of global football development Arsene Wenger.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final this month in protest at several controversial moves. These included US President Donald Trump stepping in to help turn USA forward Folarin Balogun's one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 encounter with Belgium.
Key Facts
- The FA said it was "deeply concerned" about Fifa's plans.
- Uefa's 55 members are due to meet virtually later this week.
- Fifa wants to create a commercial subsidiary for major events including the World Cup.
- Fifa said it aims to extend global development funding to $10bn (£7.5bn).
- Each of Fifa's 211 member associations could access up to $20m (£15m) in one-off capital.
