UEFA has issued a sharp rebuke of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. "The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," read the statement regarding the governing body. This criticism follows the withdrawal of a controversial proposal to create a commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
The abandoned plan, which UEFA and other confederations had strongly opposed, aimed to raise as much as $4.2 billion based on a $20 billion valuation for the subsidiary. The entity was intended to manage major tournaments, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup. While UEFA acknowledged the withdrawal of the proposal—which they described as a plan that had been unanimously rejected by organizations tasked with protecting the game—they insisted that the move did not resolve deeper concerns regarding Infantino’s leadership.
In a scathing statement, UEFA accused the 56-year-old Swiss official of failing to uphold the promises he made during his 2016 election campaign. Specifically, UEFA highlighted his pledge to operate with transparency and his commitment that FIFA’s finances were the property of member associations rather than the FIFA President himself. According to UEFA, he has failed to deliver on both counts. Furthermore, the European governing body noted that with FIFA’s reserves currently exceeding $5 billion, Infantino has failed to effectively utilize the member associations' funds for the actual benefit of the sport.
