Fifa says 'nobody selling football' as plan continues

Image source, Reuters Image caption, Gianni Infantino has been Fifa president since 2016

Fifa says that "nobody is selling football" as it vowed to continue with the controversial plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.

Uefa - the body that governs European football - voted on Thursday to boycott World Cups if the plan proceeded.

Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and hosted this year's World Cup, said its 41 member associations also "rejected" the proposal made by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Fifa oversees world football, and Infantino would need 106 from its 211 members in favour for the proposal to go through. Uefa and Concacaf members combined make up 96 of those votes.

In a statement released on Friday, Fifa claimed the consultation process had been "disrupted by incorrect media reports".

"We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation," the statement read.

"We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA (member association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts.

"Nobody is selling football. This is not something Fifa would ever entertain."

Is Infantino finished? Could Uefa boycott World Cup? What happens now?

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Published 1 day ago What are Infantino's plans? Fifa wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.

It said it would "invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments" in a new subsidiary - Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).

On Friday, Fifa said FFE had been proposed "to ensure all Fifa member associations have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries".

"This does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of Fifa or football itself," it added.

However, Uefa has accused Fifa of using football "to enrich themselves and their friends".

Infantino previously wrote to Fifa members saying they will receive $40m (£30m) if they back his controversial proposal. He set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept his plans if they want to access an initial $20m (£15m).

If approval is granted, Fifa says Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.

Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner - the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared.