Concacaf celebrated this Saturday FIFA's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, an initiative that sought to create a subsidiary in charge of managing the commercial operations of the World Cup and other tournaments of the organization. The North American, Central American and Caribbean confederation maintained that the retreat represents a defense of the “long-term” interests of soccer and the principles of “good governance.”
In a joint statement with its 41 affiliated federations, the organization expressed that the discussion in recent days revealed problems in the way the proposal was promoted. “The events of recent days have highlighted something that can no longer be ignored: the future of the FIFA World Cup, the greatest asset in world football, was promoted outside any established governance framework, without transparency, consultation or due process,” he said.
FIFA had announced on Wednesday its intention to sell 20% of the new commercial structure, a move that generated an immediate reaction in different sectors of international football.
Criticism of management and support for international pressure
Concacaf did not limit itself to positively evaluating the withdrawal of the project. He also questioned the leadership of FIFA and asked to review the leadership of Gianni Infantino. "A proposal of this magnitude does not reach this stage by chance. It is a symptom of a leadership that has stopped prioritizing football," the confederation said.
The organization added that the episode is part of “a pattern of similar errors and behaviors” and considered “an exhaustive analysis of this presidency is imperative.”
Pressure on FIFA increased on Thursday when UEFA, whose federations have won 13 World Cups since 1930, rejected the initiative and warned it would not participate in competitions organized by the governing body if the project went ahead.
A day later, Infantino officially announced that FIFA was giving up creating the subsidiary after "listening carefully to all parties."
Concacaf also thanked the media for bringing the debate to the public sphere and recalled that FIFA “is not a private company,” but rather an entity that must act “for the benefit of football and its members.”
Concacaf representatives will act within the FIFA Council
The confederation indicated that its representatives on the FIFA Council will be actively involved in ensuring that governance, accountability and leadership issues are addressed through the mechanisms provided for in the body's statutes.
As explained, the action will be carried out both directly and through existing institutional procedures.
The statement concluded by highlighting the unity shown by the member associations during the controversy. “The unity demonstrated this week by our Member Associations has reaffirmed that, when guided by courage, integrity and good governance, football will continue to be where it belongs: in the hands of football, and not a single individual,” Concacaf said.
The withdrawal of the FFE closed, at least for now, one of the biggest recent controversies surrounding the commercial management of the World Cup, although it left open questions about FIFA's leadership and its decision-making mechanisms.
