Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), welcomed the decision by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to withdraw the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" project, which aimed to establish a new commercial entity allowing private sector investors to acquire commercial rights to FIFA tournaments.
اضافة اعلان
In an official statement issued on Saturday, the AFC President stressed that this step represents an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of adopting a consultative approach on issues affecting the future of global football. He requested that FIFA submit any similar future initiatives to the continental confederations, the FIFA Council, member association federations, and all relevant stakeholders in a timely manner and with the utmost transparency.
"The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue, and respect for the established governance structures of our game," Sheikh Salman stated.
He added that the AFC stands ready to support any initiative that enhances the unity of the football family, contributes to the global development of the sport, and delivers tangible benefits to all parties.
The AFC had previously expressed its anger over FIFA's move to launch the project concept without prior consultation with continental confederations.
The AFC President also expressed his gratitude to the member national associations, praising the unity and solidarity they demonstrated over the recent period.
"I feel proud that all our member national associations stood as one and entrusted the AFC to seek answers on their behalf regarding an issue of paramount importance to the future of global football governance," he explained. "I thank them for their patience, solidarity, and unity, and I assure them that the AFC will always act in their best interests."
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, announced early Saturday morning the withdrawal of the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" project following an escalating wave of opposition over recent days from several continental confederations and football officials.
Infantino explained in an official statement that the project was intended to "provide a foundation to further empower FIFA's member associations and support football across the globe, particularly in nations with the greatest need."
The FIFA President emphasized that implementing the project had been conditional from the outset on securing the support of a majority of member national associations, and that it would have been subject to a consultation process with national associations, the FIFA Council, continental confederations, and other stakeholders.
The project faced mounting resistance over the past few days after FIFA proposed creating a new company to manage commercial activities and tournament organization, while allowing the sale of a stake to private sector investors.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) voiced its firm rejection of the proposal, threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions if the project moved forward, before being joined in opposition by both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
The crisis also saw the resignation of American Carlos Cordeiro, a senior advisor to the FIFA President, in protest against the project, alongside public criticism from Frenchman Kévin Lamour, FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, before Infantino officially announced the withdrawal of the proposal—putting an end to one of the most controversial initiatives in FIFA's history.
