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The FIFA chief relents and says the FFE proposal will not proceed
FIFA had remained mired in various controversies both during and after the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Sat, 01, Aug 2026
- 01:58 EDT
- 21
FIFA World Cup / X@fifamedia
As the pressure started mounting against Gianni Infantino's proposal to carve out the FIFA Forward Enterprise for holding the major FIFA events, including World Cups, the FIFA chief took a safer route by announcing that the "proposal will not proceed".
While most of the Continental Federations and the National Football Associations started smelling a rat that the FIFA chief, riding a wave of personal glory at the successful conduct of the FIFA World Cup 2026, released within a fortnight of the end of the biggest ever 39-day-long 48-nation 104-match tournament.
The European Federation (UEFA), which has mostly been hostile to the FIFA chief and his plans, was the first to raise a voice of revolt by deciding to boycott all FIFA events, including World Cups, in case the proposal proceeded.
CONCAF, which looks after the Americas, too, followed suit. Even the Asian Federation did not take it well and opposed.
Though FIFA laid a bait for the member national federations by promising huge chunks of money in return for supporting the proposal, it did not meet with any success. Rather, most of the continental and national federations refused to take the bait, suspecting that it was a game plan of the FIFA chief to become CEO of the new body after his next term comes to an end in 2031.
FIFA had remained mired in various controversies both during and after the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The intervention of President Donald Trump in the Folarin Bolagun red case controversy was the boiling point. There were protests and appeals filed against some of the decisions, especially those relating to VAR, that left a bitter taste after FIFA's biggest ever and most costly event co-hosted by three nations - the US, Mexico and Canada.
The bitterness did not end there, as some nations, including Iran, complained of discriminatory treatment, while a few other national federations were upset over the denial of visas to officials, players and even spectators by two of the co-hosts – the USA and Canada.
The bombshell came after the conclusion of the showpiece mega event of FIFA when Gianni Infantino announced a proposal to set up the FIFA FE corporate to look after its major events, including World Cups.
This infuriated both the continental and national football associations worldwide. Though the proposal was to be placed before the FIFA Council in September, the FIFA chief was forced to retract.
The following statement attributed to Gianni Infantino was issued today:
"The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed. And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.
"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has 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.
"Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve.
"As a result, this proposal will not proceed.
"Moving forward, I intend to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game and to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support," it added.
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