The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has formally entered the growing dispute over FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal to open the World Cup to private investors.
In a coordinated move, the AFC has aligned itself with UEFA and CONCACAF, both of which have threatened to boycott the initiative and have publicly refused a $20 million payment that Infantino offered to each member federation.
Central to the controversy is Infantino’s plan to create a $20 billion commercial subsidiary that would manage and monetize FIFA’s flagship tournaments, a scheme that is being championed by venture‑capitalist Joshua Kushner.
AFC Demands Governance Overhaul
In a statement released from Kuala Lumpur the AFC said the current governance model has become increasingly opaque and called for an urgent review of FIFA’s management style and decision‑making processes.
The pushback comes as the football community debates the implications of tying major tournaments to private capital, with critics warning that such moves could undermine the sport’s global integrity and dilute the influence of traditional federations.
While the financial incentives are attractive the coalition of continental bodies stresses that any decision must be taken with full stakeholder consultation ensuring that the sport’s governing bodies retain ultimate authority over the competition’s future.