Infantino gets fresh reality check as World Cup boycott grows amid calls for change

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have announced their opposition to Gianni Infantino's plan to sell shares in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. After CONCACAF and UEFA, they have become the latest confederation to express their opposition to the plan, which is to create a commercial subsidiary called 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' which would then look to sell 20-30 per-cent of its stocks to private investors.

Forty-seven countries make up the AFC, which means up to 143 nations are already against Infantino's proposal, with 55 making up UEFA and a further 41 making up CONCACAF. With FIFA being formed of 211 member nations, Infantino's plan is in danger of fizzling out before it ever really got started.

It's understood he needs over 50 per cent of member associations to support his plan for it to go ahead. The AFC's statement is the latest brutal reality check for the Swiss figurehead.

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In a statement, following similar positions set out by UEFA and CONCACAF, they wrote: "The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA’s proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA's flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE. The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position.

"Against this backdrop, and in light of the clear positions expressed by UEFA and CONCACAF, as well as the unprecedented divisions that have emerged across the football world, the AFC believes that the proposed FFE cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward. The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world’s leading football nations. Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered.

"While the immediate debate centres on FFE, the AFC considers this issue extends far beyond a single proposal. Rather, it has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed. While the AFC notes FIFA’s latest clarification on the proposal, the central concerns surrounding governance, institutional process and meaningful consultation remain unanswered.

"A proposal of such significance, with the potential to affect the commercial, sporting and strategic future of world football, must not emerge through processes that leave Confederations, Member Associations (MAs) and even FIFA’s own governing bodies, including the FIFA Council, feeling side-lined. The primary objective for world football must be to ensure that decisions of such magnitude are being developed through processes that are anchored on transparency and command the confidence of the football community.

"This is not the first occasion where major stakeholders have been confronted with significant initiatives after the direction of travel appears to have already been determined. Such an approach undermines confidence in FIFA’s governance framework and diminishes the authority of its statutory bodies.

"No subsequent consultation process, however well intentioned, can replace early engagement with the appropriate FIFA bodies and the football family. The AFC believes this moment must become a catalyst for strengthening institutional reform.

"While every FIFA MA must have the opportunity to consider and determine proposals affecting the future of world football, meaningful democracy is not measured solely by the opportunity to vote. It begins with transparent governance, timely consultation, informed deliberation and genuine participation throughout the decision-making process.

"Accordingly, the AFC calls upon FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed through proper consultation, meaningful engagement and appropriate oversight by FIFA’s statutory bodies. The FIFA World Cup, and the game itself, belong to the entire global football family. Their future must always be shaped collectively, through institutions that reflect the voices of all Confederations and MAs."