Former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger on Tuesday became the latest top executive at world football's governing body Fifa to distance himself from the failed plan of Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors.
Infantino hired Wenger in 2019 as Fifa's head of global football development and over the past seven years, the Frenchman has masterminded Fifa's quest to make sure talented players around the world are spotted and developed.
But the 76-year-old, who transformed the culture and playing style of top flight football in England in the late 1990s and early 2000s, criticised the proposals to reform the commercial side of Fifa competitions without explicitly naming Infantino.
“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports,” said Wenger.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
Plan to reform Fifa competitions
Last Tuesday, it emerged that an Infantino-championed initiative wanted the creation of a subsidiary – known as Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) – to run the money-making parts of Fifa operations such as the men's and women's World Cups as well as the Club World Cup.
The plan sought to raise just under €4 billion from investors by selling a stake of about 20 percent in FFE, based on a reported equity valuation of €17 billion.
The proposed “anchor investor” was Thrive Eternal, an investment company launched by Joshua Kushner. His brother Jared is married to the daughter of US President Donald Trump.
Concern over proposals and secrecy
Football governing bodies from across the world raised concerns over the plan. They were also angry at being kept in the dark while the proposals were being thrashed out.
Uefa, which represents 55 national football associations in Europe, reportedly threatened to boycott future Fifa competitions if Infantino continued with the plan.
Despite the mounting criticism, Fifa initially defended the project and blamed media reports for misrepresenting it.
“Nobody is selling football,” Fifa said in a statement. “This is not something Fifa would ever entertain.
“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.”
France and England bosses say squads will take World Cup play-off seriously.
However, Infantino announced on Saturday that the proposal was being withdrawn.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he said.
“Our purpose has always been, and will always be, to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
But the withdrawal has failed to end the criticism. Wenger has become the latest senior Fifa figure to question how the project was handled.
Senior officials break ranks
Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned last Friday over the proposals.
Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented Fifa on the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, said: “I cannot stand by while Fifa considers selling a stake in the World Cup.”
Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also issued a statement to the Associated Press on Friday, saying staff had been misled by the lack of openness surrounding the project and that it should not continue.
“It is the project of one person,” said Lamour, who has worked with Infantino at both Fifa and Uefa.
On Monday, the AFP news agency said it had seen an internal email to Fifa staff in which secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom described the emergence of the reform "as a sad and reproachable series of events".
He added: "Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue."
Uefa issues legal warning
The Associated Press reported on Monday that it had seen a letter sent by the New York law firm Dechert on behalf of Uefa.
The letter named 18 Fifa executives, including Wenger and chief financial officer Thomas Peyer, and instructed them to preserve data, documents and electronic communications that could become evidence in potential legal proceedings.
“Uefa puts you on formal notice that any destruction, deletion, alteration, concealment or loss of relevant materials following receipt of this notice – or following any earlier date on which you were, or reasonably should have been, aware that proceedings were anticipated – may constitute spoliation of evidence,” the letter said.
