Michael Bascombe

It's over, Gianni. Infantino’s plan to invite venture capitalists to buy a stake in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments is dead in the water. It's over. CONCACAF follows UEFA in rejecting his divisive plan. So that’s 41 + 55 national associations of the 211 against. So far. Strong statement from CONCACAF, echoing UEFA’s. "CONCACAF is a confederation united by the love of our game, where football comes first. Guided by this philosophy over the past 10 years we have built, from the ground up, an organization founded on service, transparent governance, and the long-term stewardship of football. History has shown FIFA and the football family what happens when the custodians of the game lose sight of these values.” The confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football convened meeting of its 41 members to discuss the “FIFA Forward Enterprise”, Infantino’s plan “to sell interests in the FIFA World Cup to private investors”. Infantino’s handling of the process, rushing decision-making, drew criticism. “During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies. In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned. The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.” So CONCACAF and its 41 members… “Rejected the proposal; Tasked their FIFA Council Members with engaging FIFA to determine how existing FIFA reserves could be used to increase FIFA Forward funding for football development across our region; And tasked their FIFA Council Members with instructing the FIFA President to ensure that any matter follows the proper governance processes via staff and FIFA Council, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes. “Through these actions, CONCACAF reaffirms that football's future - and its greatest asset - must remain in the hands of our football family.” 🙌🙌