FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the proposed creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new commercial subsidiary valued at $20 billion, insisting the initiative is “an opportunity, not an obligation” after it sparked strong opposition from football’s regional confederations.
The proposal, unveiled on Tuesday, would establish a subsidiary to oversee the commercial rights of FIFA’s flagship men’s and women’s competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup and Club World Cup.
Under the plan, FIFA intends to sell up to 20 percent of the new entity to external investors for an estimated $4.2 billion, with the proceeds expected to be distributed among FIFA’s 211 member associations to support football development worldwide.
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However, the proposal faced criticism from several continental confederations, which said they were blindsided by FIFA’s plans to introduce private investment into the commercial management of the sport.
