FIFA pushes back against criticism of new commercial venture, says football 'is not for sale'

FIFA has issued a written response to criticism of its planned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) structure, saying no one is selling football and that the governing body would never accept such a move. The Zurich-based organization, led by President Gianni Infantino, said it respects concerns raised by continental confederations and will pursue an open and democratic consultation process. The FFE is designed to transfer some of FIFA's commercial and operational activities related to its major tournaments to a permanent entity that FIFA would own and control. Under the proposal, each of FIFA's 211 member federations would receive an additional $20 million in development funding for the 2027-2030 cycle if they opt into the FFE program. FIFA said the funding would come from additional revenues generated through more effective management of its commercial activities, supplemented by outside investment, and would not require changes to its governance structure. FIFA added that the FFE program will not proceed unless it secures the support of the majority of the confederations.