Prime Minister Andy Burnham has launched a blistering attack on FIFA’s proposal to auction off a stake in the World Cup to private investors, branding the governing body “sell outs.”
In a social media statement published this evening, the PM made his position unequivocal.
“Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine,” he wrote.
Mr Burnham went further, insisting: “The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will.”
Andy Burnham has blasted Gianni Infantino’s plans to sell the World Cup
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The intervention places Downing Street firmly at odds with world football’s governing body over its controversial new commercial strategy.
The Prime Minister is far from alone in his opposition. UEFA responded with a forceful statement of its own, declaring that FIFA had overstepped a fundamental boundary.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” the European governing body warned.
UEFA urged every national association, league, club, player, supporter and government to treat the matter with the utmost gravity.
The statement struck at the heart of the proposal’s legitimacy, asserting: “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
Gianni Infantino has come under fire throughout the World Cup over claims of corruption | REUTERS
The pointed reference to a lack of financial transparency adds a particularly damaging dimension to the growing chorus of condemnation.
The Football Supporters’ Association delivered an equally withering verdict on Tuesday, expressing outrage at the timing of the announcement.
“Many supporters came home from the World Cup believing FIFA couldn’t do much more to ruin everything we love about football’s greatest tournament. Less than two weeks after the final ball was kicked, they’ve shown they can always find a new low,” the FSA stated.
The fans’ body pledged to resist what it described as a pattern of decisions prioritising short-term commercial returns over the sport’s long-term health.
The FSA also took direct aim at the FIFA president, warning: “This cannot become another step in Gianni Infantino’s attempt to reshape football without regard for supporters or the wider game.”
The organisation confirmed its full backing for UEFA’s position, calling on every stakeholder in the sport to unite in defence of the game’s future.
Despite the firestorm of criticism, FIFA has already set out the specifics of its commercial blueprint.
FIFA are planning to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors
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Under the plan, the governing body would retain majority ownership of the World Cup, with private investors acquiring between 20 and 30 per cent of the competition.
FIFA’s 211 member associations would collectively receive a 20 per cent stake in the tournament.
The governing body has framed the restructuring as a means of dramatically expanding its financial support, pledging to boost funding to more than $10 billion — equivalent to approximately £7.49 billion.
Lamine Yamal poses with the World Cup trophy following Spain’s victory over Argentina | GETTY
That enlarged pot would be distributed across all 211 affiliated national associations.
Whether such financial incentives prove sufficient to quell the mounting rebellion from governments, continental bodies and supporters remains very much to be seen.
