AFC, UEFA and Concacaf have jointly accused FIFA leadership of a fundamental breach of trust over a now-abandoned plan to sell an interest in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup. In a strongly worded open letter to the football community, the three confederations demanded an independent investigation into how the proposal was developed and presented.
The letter was signed by AFC President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Concacaf President Victor Montagliani and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, along with their general secretaries. They stressed that leadership in football must be seen as a duty of service rather than the exercise of power. When trust is broken through deception or when an individual places personal authority above the collective, the responsibility of leadership is abandoned.
Although the letter did not name FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly, the criticism followed FIFA’s proposal to create a new commercial entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise. This body would have combined commercial rights and tournament operations, including broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing and ticketing. Reports suggested the subsidiary was valued at around $20 billion, with external investors offered a minority stake of up to 20 percent.
The confederations rejected FIFA’s claim that the issue was simply a failure of communication. They described it as a profound failure of judgment, advanced on a rushed timeline without proper consultation. They also rejected FIFA’s plan for an internal review, insisting that any investigation must be conducted by a fully independent third party with no role for the FIFA administration. They further called for all relevant documents to be preserved.
Concerns were also raised about a recent leadership meeting in Morocco where only one elected official was present. No FIFA Council members or member associations were invited. The three confederations made clear they are not seeking to overturn previous collective decisions on tournament expansion or World Cup hosting rights. Instead, they are demanding greater accountability and unity across the sport. Football’s strength has always been its unity, they said, and leadership must serve the game rather than command it.
