UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF hit out at Infantino over World Cup privatisation plan
Three confederations release letter criticising FIFA's president over his proposal to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
The letter from three confederations is not a protest; it is a warning shot across FIFA's bow. When UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF synchronize their criticism, they are telling Infantino that the world's most valuable sporting property cannot be reorganized like a private equity portfolio without a fight.
Privatisation plans of this scale usually begin with a simple question: who gets paid first? Selling stakes in the World Cup would reroute revenue streams to outside investors, which means the confederations' own distributions and influence are at stake. The moral language of the letter is real, but the arithmetic behind it is sharper.
Infantino's proposal is a market signal disguised as governance reform. It tests whether the asset is too politically delicate to be securitized. The confederations have answered: not while they hold a seat at the table. This is not the end of the debate, only the opening move in a long negotiation over who ultimately owns the game's largest prize.