A nasty civil war has broken out in FIFA, the administrator of the global game. Strangely, the most consequential battle for the soul of football is not being fought on the pitch but in boardrooms, corridors of power and behind closed doors. It is an internecine struggle over money, governance, political influence and, ultimately, who owns the future of the world’s most popular sport.
The beginning is bitter and deeply troubling. For now, nobody knows how it will end.
The crisis exploded in late July when FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveiled the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial vehicle that would consolidate FIFA’s lucrative commercial rights and tournament operations.
Under the proposal, FIFA would retain control but sell a 20 to 21 per cent minority stake to private investors, with the World Cup among the properties whose future revenues would underpin the enterprise.
The reported investment target was about $20 billion. UEFA is now questioning whether that valuation properly reflects the enormous worth of FIFA’s commercial assets.
