- Fifa has proposed establishing a private company, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), to consolidate the sale of commercial rights and operational delivery of its tournaments.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has strongly criticised the plan, asserting that the World Cup 'was never anyone’s to sell' and that football belongs to its fans, not investors.
- Uefa has also expressed grave concerns, warning that the proposal 'crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross' due to its commercial nature and lack of transparency.
- Fifa maintains it will retain exclusive authority over football governance and regulatory decisions, projecting over 10 billion US dollars in development funding over four years.
- Thrive Eternal, a company connected to Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is expected to lead the investor group for the proposed FFE.
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