Arabic version: غالوب ينتقد مقترح بيع حقوق كأس العالم من فيفا
According to ABC News, former Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop said FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to privatise commercial rights to major tournaments “has gone down like a lead balloon”. Gallop said the idea was “so far off passing the pub test” and had put Infantino under pressure.
The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, would have transferred commercial rights for FIFA’s most popular tournaments, including the World Cup, to a private company. A 20 per cent stake would have been sold to investors at a valuation of $20 billion. FIFA’s 211 member federations were offered one-off payments of $20 million each.
Gallop said privatisation was not inherently wrong, but argued that selling part of an asset such as the World Cup required a compelling strategic and financial justification. He said FIFA had $5 billion in cash after the World Cup, raising questions about why it would pursue an equity sale rather than focus on sustainability instead of a “one-off sugar hit of capital”.
FIFA scrapped the proposal within three days. UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC, of which Australia is a member, opposed it, while UEFA, CONCACAF and a growing number of national federations withdrew support for Infantino’s leadership. Football Australia welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon the plan, but its chair Anter Isaac and chief executive Martin Kugeler declined interviews with 7.30.
Gallop said the failed proposal had damaged Infantino’s standing after he was elected in 2016 on promises of transparency, accountability, consultation and putting football first. He said it remained uncertain whether the president could be re-elected, with his future depending on whether member associations considered FIFA’s achievements to outweigh the damage from the proposal.
Patrick Clancy, head of the Football Supporters Association in Australia, said many supporters felt betrayed and wanted Football Australia to clarify its position on Infantino. He said fans wanted a properly run game with integrity rather than an organisation driven by money.
