Sports
Fifa says ‘nobody selling football’ as in continues with controversial World Cup investment plan
Uefa and Concacaf have led the opposition to Infantino’s plan.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product,” Uefa’s statement on Thursday read.
“It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent.
“No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.”
Concacaf said its members “expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal” and the “artificially short deadline imposed”.
It also questioned the need for private investment after what Fifa claimed was the most profitable World Cup in history.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said that it is “deeply concerned that Fifa’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football”.
The AFC also said it was “unacceptable” that it had not been consulted before the proposal was publicly announced, nor provided with “detailed governance, financial or legal analysis”.
The governing body overseeing football in South America, Conmebol, is yet to publicly comment on the proposals. The governing bodies in Africa (CAF) and Oceania (OFC) have said they will discuss Fifa’s plan in August.
Chelsea manager and 2010 World Cup winner Xabi Alonso was asked about the situation during his side’s pre-season tour of Australia.
“I think that football has to be for the people, not in private hands and I think that the way we love it is this way and we have seen a great World Cup and it’s good to defend the interests of all the people,” he said.
“I think it’s a common feeling of football people that we want something that we keep in the hands of everyone, that it’s for all the people. Hopefully it won’t happen and we will do it – we will keep the game as attractive and as authentic as we like it and that’s why it creates these emotions, these passions.
“We’ve seen it in the World Cup, we’ve seen it in the Champions League, we’ve seen it in the Premier League, in all the competitions, because it’s for everyone.”
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