On July 31, Beijing time, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued an official statement responding to Gianni Infantino's attempt to propose the sale of his World Cup shares.
AFC official announcement:
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) expressed its support for UEFA and CONCACAF, and its serious concern regarding FIFA's decision-making process regarding the introduction of private capital investment into its top-level competitions and the FFE scheme.
The situation has now escalated to the point where there is a global discussion about whether to boycott the World Cup. All those involved in football who care about its future should take heed of this; football should not have fallen into such a passive position.
Against this backdrop, and considering the clear statements from UEFA and CONCACAF, coupled with unprecedented and significant divisions within international football, the AFC believes that the FFE proposal is unlikely to achieve the broad consensus and unity necessary for its implementation.
The World Cup is the highest level of football globally, and its vitality stems from the joint participation of continental football federations and the world's top footballing nations. Any proposal that could potentially undermine the inclusivity and global unity of this tournament must be reconsidered.
While current public opinion is focused on the FFE proposal, the AFC believes the issues extend far beyond a single proposal. This incident exposes fundamental flaws in FIFA's consultation and decision-making mechanisms, which urgently need rectification.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has noted the latest supplementary statement issued by FIFA regarding the proposal, but the core concerns raised by outsiders regarding the governance structure, institutional decision-making procedures, and substantive multi-party consultations have not yet been addressed.
A major proposal that could significantly impact the commercial landscape, competitive development, and long-term strategy of world football must not be hastily produced in a process where continental football federations, member associations, and even internal statutory governance bodies such as the FIFA Council are marginalized or excluded from discussion.
The primary principle of world football should be that such a significant reform plan must be formulated through a transparent mechanism to gain the widespread trust of the entire football industry. This is not the first time that stakeholders have only been informed of a major reform plan after its general direction has been finalized.
This approach severely undermines public trust in FIFA's governance system and damages the authority of its statutory body. Subsequent consultations, no matter how well-intentioned, cannot replace substantive communication with FIFA's statutory bodies and the global football community in the early stages of decision-making.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) believes this incident should serve as an opportunity to force FIFA to deepen its institutional reforms. Indeed, every FIFA member association has the right to review and vote on proposals concerning the future of football.
But true industry democracy goes far beyond the final vote. It begins with transparent governance rules, proactive multi-party consultations, thorough discussions and deliberations, and substantive participation throughout the entire decision-making process.
Accordingly, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) calls on FIFA to urgently and comprehensively review its own governance and decision-making system to ensure that all reform proposals with global impact undergo standardized multi-party consultation, in-depth substantive discussions, and compliance oversight by FIFA's statutory bodies.
The World Cup, and indeed football as a sport, belongs to all those involved in football worldwide. Its future direction must be decided collectively by the organizations representing the demands of continental football federations and member associations.
Related links:
[Official statement: CONCACAF and 41 member countries oppose FIFA's "Advance Corporate" initiative]
