FIFA President Gianni Infantino has given football associations until September 19 to back his plan to sell off part of FIFA to private investors – with a $40m (£30.1m) incentive to accept, a letter has revealed.
FIFA announced on Tuesday that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA’s commercial rights – including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing – with the operational delivery of its tournaments.
Under the proposal, FIFA would raise up to $4.2bn (£3.1bn) from external investors through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes in FFE, which it says would be valued at around $20bn (£15bn).
The governing body says its plans – which need approval from member associations – could deliver more than $10bn in “football development funding” over the next four years.
The FIFA president, in correspondence only sent to the 211 member associations after his secret plans were leaked and met with fierce opposition from UEFA, raised the subject of finances which would be available to access from January.
