Gianni Infantino has set a deadline of 19 September for all 211 national football associations to decide whether they will back his latest commercial venture, offering a £30.1 million (approximately $40 million) incentive to those who agree. In a confidential letter disclosed to the press, the FIFA president outlined a sweeping proposal to create a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bundle the sale of FIFA’s commercial assets – broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, ticketing and licensing – with the operational management of its tournaments. Under the scheme, FIFA aims to raise up to £3.1 billion ($4.2 billion) from external investors by selling minority, non‑controlling stakes in FFE.
The governing body values the new company at roughly £15 billion ($20 billion). If the plan receives the required backing from member associations and the FIFA Council, the organisation claims it could generate more than £7.53 billion ($10 billion) in football‑development funding over the next four years. Infantino’s letter, addressed solely to the 211 member associations after the details of the plan were leaked, warned that nations that refuse to support the sale of more than 20 percent of the new commercial spin‑off could see a dramatic reduction in the cash available for grassroots projects, national team programmes and other development initiatives.
He stressed that the success of FFE hinges on a majority vote – more than half of the members must endorse the proposal – before it can be presented to the FIFA Council for final approval. The president also hinted that if the required thresholds are not met, FIFA will revert to the existing Forward Programme 4.0, which would allocate roughly £7.5 million ($10 million) per association for the upcoming cycle.
In contrast, associations that sign up by the 19 September deadline would gain immediate access to the new funding pool, with cash becoming available from 1 January 2027. The financial stakes have been dramatically amplified since FIFA first announced the project. Earlier this week the governing body said the new venture would unlock £15 million ($20 million) of funding for the period 2027‑2030; the latest figures suggest that amount has effectively doubled, turning the offer into a potential £7.5 billion pot for the entire membership. European football’s governing body, UEFA, reacted with fury, describing the proposal as a breach of football’s core principles.
An emergency virtual meeting of UEFA’s 55 member associations is scheduled for Thursday to discuss a possible boycott should Infantino press ahead. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also voiced his opposition on social media, asserting that football belongs to the fans and the communities that support the game, not to private investors.
The English Football Association (FA) released a statement saying it had not been consulted about the plan and lacked substantive details. The FA expressed deep concern over the lack of transparent governance and promised to comment once the full proposal is made public. Similar sentiments were echoed by the Football Association of Wales, the Irish FA and the Scottish FA, all of which indicated they had received only fragmentary information and were awaiting a complete briefing before forming an opinion.
The European Leagues – an organization representing more than 1,000 clubs across 31 countries – also condemned the scheme, with the Premier League publicly supporting the statement. Tensions between UEFA and FIFA have already been high; UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin recently missed the World Cup final in protest over a series of governance disputes, including the handling of the Folarin Balogun case.
Critics argue that the plan threatens the “soul and governance” of football, insisting that the sport’s assets should never be treated as tradable commodities. LaLiga president Javier Tebas warned that mixing politics, discipline, money and power without full transparency makes any leader unfit to steer the game. FIFA has tried to calm the controversy by stating that the new entity would be a subsidiary, not a sale of the organisation itself, and that FIFA would retain sole control over competition formats, the international match calendar and all regulatory decisions. JP Morgan is acting as financial adviser, while Thrive Capital – led by Josh Kushner, brother‑in‑law of former US President Donald Trump’s son‑in‑law – is expected to spearhead the investor group.
Infantino maintains that the proposal will “democratise football worldwide” by channeling a larger share of commercial revenue back into development projects. He described football as “the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development,” adding that the commercial side of the game needs a dedicated business structure to maximise value for all stakeholders.
The president also dismissed rumours that he might become chief executive of the new company after his term ends in 2031, insisting that such a move has never been discussed. Nonetheless, FIFA indicated that both the president and the existing administration would play leading roles in the subsidiary to ensure alignment with FIFA statutes and the interests of member associations. FIFA remains a non‑profit organisation owned by its 211 member associations and enjoys tax‑exempt status in Switzerland.
Its projected revenue for the 2022‑2026 cycle is about $15 billion (£11.26 billion), driven largely by TV rights, sponsorship deals and ticket sales from the men’s World Cup. The next major tournament is the women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027. Sky Sports’ correspondent Kaveh Solhekol summed up the atmosphere: "It’s shocking how nothing is shocking any more. FIFA claims this was the most successful World Cup ever, with revenues exceeding expectations, while fans paid sky‑high ticket prices.
Infantino sees that as a blueprint for the future – a subsidiary that can attract private capital and generate a massive cash pool for the 211 members. The key question is whether the associations will accept the offer.
If they do, a £7.5 billion pot is on the table; if they reject it, the amount could shrink to £2 billion. The level of opposition suggests the plan may face an uphill battle, reminiscent of the failed European Super League proposal earlier this year."