The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), along with its 41 member nations, rejected the proposal by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to create the FIFA Forward Enterprise and sell shares in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup to private investors, as stated in an official communication from the confederation.
The decision was made following a meeting attended by the presidents of CONCACAF member associations, the president of the confederation, members of the CONCACAF Council, and CONCACAF representatives on the FIFA Council. Participants expressed concern over the lack of proper review procedures, artificially compressed timelines for considering the proposal, and the fact that it had not been reviewed or approved by the relevant FIFA governing bodies.
Furthermore, they questioned the necessity of attracting private investment to fund FIFA Forward programs, especially after noting that the FIFA World Cup is the most profitable tournament in its history. Following discussions, CONCACAF and its members rejected the proposal and instructed their representatives on the FIFA Council to insist that FIFA use its substantial reserves to increase funding for football development programs in the region.
Representatives were also instructed to demand that the FIFA President ensure that similar proposals in the future are considered in accordance with established FIFA governance procedures, through the organization's appropriate bodies and the FIFA Council, according to the FIFA Statutes. CONCACAF emphasized that over the past decade, it has built an organization based on serving football, transparent governance, and responsible long-term sports development. The confederation added that the future of football and its most valuable assets must remain under the management of the football community.
Previously, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) stated that all 55 of its associations are prepared to boycott FIFA competitions due to plans to transfer a share of the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup to private investors.
