Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, has publicly supported the decision to abandon a controversial proposal by president Gianni Infantino. The plan, which sought to sell a 20 percent stake in the World Cup to private equity investors via the FIFA Forward Enterprise, was withdrawn following intense backlash and opposition from three continental confederations.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the former Arsenal manager clarified his position, noting that he was not consulted on the strategic project and only learned of it through media reports. Wenger emphasized that the decision to scrap the plan was absolutely necessary to maintain the integrity, transparency, and independence of FIFA. He highlighted his current role, which involves overseeing data analysis, the FIFA online training centre, youth education across 60 global academies, and various international youth competitions, while also serving as a technical adviser to IFAB.
The abandoned proposal aimed to cover Club World Cups and would have impacted existing agreements between European clubs and FIFA regarding competition rights. The backlash against the scheme was significant, with UEFA threatening a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA events if the plan proceeded. UEFA confirmed on Saturday that while they welcomed the withdrawal, they have lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
Internal dissent at FIFA has also grown, with chief operating officer Kevin Lamour stating last week that staff members felt deceived by the president. As Infantino prepares to stand for re-election in March for a final term, he faces a difficult path to secure the required 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 members. Several European associations, including the Football Association of Wales, have officially withdrawn their support, and the English Football Association is expected to follow suit. Furthermore, clubs within the European Football Clubs group have reached out to FIFA to express their deep concerns regarding the now-defunct project.
