FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the governing body’s proposal to create a private company to manage the commercial rights of its major competitions.
The plan has drawn strong criticism since details became public earlier this week. Many questioned the idea of selling stakes in FIFA’s biggest tournaments.
Infantino said the proposal is only an option and not something that member associations must accept.
“FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE, is actually a proposal, an offer. It’s part of a democratic process, a consultation process, and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation,” Infantino said in a video released on Wednesday.
“It is a golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally. But again, it is just an offer, not an obligation.”
Infantino said the main goal is to unlock commercial value that football has not fully used.
He added that the proposal will only move forward if FIFA’s 211 member associations approve it through a vote and the FIFA Council also gives its approval.
“Capturing that value requires additional expertise, additional insight, distinct from governing and developing the sport,” he said.
“It would simply commercialise and organise all FIFA owned competitions along with sponsorship, broadcast, licensing and new ventures for the benefit of FIFA’s 211 member associations.”
Infantino also said the proposal would not change football itself. Instead, he believes it would help fans and support the growth of the game around the world.
“Fans from everywhere in the world would gain immeasurably from this game changing potential because it will transform football in their countries,” he said.
