By Archie Griggs

 

LONDON, 31 July. - (ANA) - FIFA's controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors has caused no shortage of fury across the football world. UEFA have already threatened to boycott the 2030 tournament if Gianni Infantino refuses to back down. That would see the governing body's 55 member nations turning their backs on arguably the world's biggest sporting event in an unprecedented move.

 

Shortly after UEFA held an emergency meeting on Thursday, it emerged that CONCACAF were also firmly opposed to Infantino's plan to attract private investment. The organisation governs a total of 41 nations across North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Now, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have added to the growing opposition by standing in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF.

 

In a statement, the AFC said that Infantino's plan could not "realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward".

 

They added: "The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all aonfederations and the world's leading football nations.

 

"Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered."

 

While CONCACAF and the AFC stopped short of explicitly threatening a boycott, it remains to be seen if that will change should FIFA double down on their proposal.

 

If those confederations join UEFA in pledging to skip the next World Cup, it would mean a total of 143 teams could refuse to participate.

 

It comes after FIFA delivered an explosive response to UEFA's boycott threat, insisting that "nobody is selling football" and blaming the media for disrupting their consultation process.

 

A statement read: "We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday.

 

"We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.

 

"Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA has the ability to express its vote based on facts.

 

"FFE has been proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries.

 

"This does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself. Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain."  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/31 July 2026 - - -