CONCACAF shuts down Infantino's World Cup share sale plan

CONCACAF has formally rejected FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to create a FIFA Forward Enterprise and sell a stake in the World Cup commercial rights to private investors. Following an emergency meeting of all 41 member associations, the North American confederation issued a unified statement condemning the initiative as a threat to football's governance principles. In the statement, CONCACAF stressed that over the past decade it has rebuilt itself on transparency and service to the game. "History has already shown FIFA and the entire football community what happens when those entrusted to lead football lose sight of these values," the document reads. During the meeting, members raised serious concerns about the lack of proper procedure in reviewing the proposal, an artificially short deadline for decision-making, and the absence of approval from FIFA's relevant governing bodies. They also questioned the need for private capital given that the last World Cup was the most profitable in history. As a result, CONCACAF and its 41 member associations unanimously rejected Infantino's initiative. They instructed their representatives on the FIFA Council to negotiate the use of the organization's significant reserves to increase FIFA Forward funding in the region, and to demand that any such future matters go through proper governance channels as per the FIFA Statutes. With this move, CONCACAF aligns itself with UEFA, which had previously announced a boycott of FIFA-sanctioned tournaments over disagreements with Infantino's reforms.