CONMEBOL stop short of FIFA boycott, request clarity on World Cup investment plan

South America's governing body CONMEBOL has stopped short of joining the backlash against FIFA's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, announcing instead a consultation with its member associations and a request for more information on the project.

In a statement issued on Friday, the confederation, which represents 10 national associations, said that since becoming aware of the proposal presented by FIFA in relation to the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, it "began a process of consultations with its Member Associations" and "convened a meeting of its Council with the sole purpose of analysing and evaluating said proposal with the responsibility and rigour that the issue requires". CONMEBOL said it had asked FIFA for "additional information and clarifications on different aspects related to the scope, structure, governance and possible effects of the FFE project".

The response came a day after UEFA threatened to boycott the World Cup should the deal materialise, and as opposition broadened, with the Asian Football Confederation joining UEFA and CONCACAF in voicing concerns. FIFA had revealed earlier in the week that it intended to raise hundreds of millions of dollars by selling a significant stake in the commercial rights of the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup, with more than $10bn (£7.5bn) earmarked for distribution to its 211 member associations.

Unlike UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC, CONMEBOL — whose president Alejandro Dominguez is regarded as a close ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino — stopped short of condemning the plan outright. "Conmebol reaffirms that its priority will always be football: its values, its people and the passion that makes it the most popular sport in the world", the statement read. "We understand that the development of football requires commercial and financial decisions." It continued: "However, these decisions must always be at the service of football and never above its essence. Football always comes first."

The confederation pledged to continue "to act with prudence, responsibility and a spirit of collaboration, contributing to the strengthening of world football exclusively through institutional channels and the principles of good governance", and called for "the unity of the entire football family and to always put football before any other interest".

Within hours, FIFA abandoned the project, saying it had "created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place".

Sources

• GiveMeSport
• Jamaica Observer (AFP)