FIFA has issued an official statement in response to the position of the European Football Association, UEFA, regarding the boycott of the World Cup and international tournaments in light of the new decision issued by the body responsible for organizing the game of football.
FIFA had sparked widespread controversy in the world of football due to its decision two days ago to sell shares of the World Cup to private sector investors, which caused a wave of widespread anger.
UEFA rejected FIFA's proposal and announced a boycott of the international federation's tournaments, including the World Cup, unless that decision is reversed, just as the CONCACAF federation announced its outright rejection of the matter.
FIFA said in an official statement on Friday: "We have listened to the observations of the continental federations regarding the proposal to establish the FFE Foundation, and we want to address the issues that have been raised since the media coverage on Tuesday, as we respect the observations and concerns that were raised publicly, and we want to reaffirm our commitment to conducting open and democratic consultations."
He added: "The consultation processes we had planned were disrupted due to inaccurate media reports. We will continue that process to ensure that every member federation has the freedom to express its opinion based on facts."
He continued: "We proposed establishing the FFE Foundation exclusively to ensure that all member federations of FIFA have an effective opportunity to participate in managing the commercial opportunities of the game in their countries, without compromising the spirit or governance of FIFA or even football itself. No one is selling football; this is something we will never accept."
He went on: "Everyone has the right to express their opposition and request more clarifications, but no single institution can claim to represent all 211 member federations around the world. Every regional federation should be allowed to review the proposal and participate in shaping its future. These are FIFA's democratic principles."
He clarified: "According to the proposal, the FFE Foundation will transfer FIFA's commercial and operational activities related to organizing events to a subsidiary of FIFA, meaning it is always owned and controlled by it. The commercial value will also be distributed among all regional federations, 211 federations, and each regional federation will be able to make effective investments in the game in their countries."
He resumed: "In addition, each regional federation will receive $20 million in funding from the (FIFA Forward Development) program over the next four years, starting from 2027 until 2030, regardless of the individual support it receives. This additional funding will come from the extra revenues that the FFE Foundation will achieve through more effective management of FIFA's commercial operations."
He stressed: "This will benefit all regional federations, and without obtaining the support of the majority of regional federations, FIFA's commercial activities will remain as they are, and the FFE will not be established."
He affirmed: "These elements represent a starting point for the consultation process as they are open for discussion as part of that process. This includes approving, rejecting, or amending them in whole or in part."
He concluded: "The FFE proposals are represented in these principles: unprecedented development funding, true global ownership of the commercial opportunities of our sport, in addition to the right to full self-determination through a democratic process that includes all federations."