The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on August 1 issued a statement expressing "solidarity" with the European (UEFA) and North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) confederations in opposing the plan to sell World Cup equity to private investors, but did not threaten a boycott of FIFA-organized events.
In a statement released on Friday, the AFC voiced "deep concern" over the proposal to create a $20 billion commercial entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to run the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments.
"The fact that the situation has reached a point where the possibility of boycotting the World Cup is genuinely being discussed in the public domain is a matter of concern for all those who care about the future of the sport," the statement said. "Football should never be put in such a position."
UEFA had earlier voted unanimously on Thursday to boycott all FIFA events if the plan is not scrapped, while CONCACAF also rejected FIFA's proposal. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa sent a letter to member associations on Thursday, calling the way the proposal was presented "completely unacceptable."
The AFC argued that "the proposed FFE cannot achieve the broad consensus and unity needed to move forward." It stressed: "The World Cup is the pinnacle of global football, and the strength of the tournament comes from the participation of all regional confederations and the world's leading football nations."
The AFC also took a sharply critical stance toward FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stating that the plan "has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA's consultation and decision-making processes, which need to be addressed." Even after FIFA issued a new statement on Friday, saying that each national association "should be allowed to review the proposal and have a voice in shaping their own future," the AFC maintained that "core concerns about governance, institutional process, and meaningful consultation remain unresolved."
The AFC said the controversy must become a catalyst for institutional reform at FIFA, stressing that "true democracy is not only measured by the opportunity to vote," but "begins with transparent governance, timely consultation, informed deliberation, and substantive participation throughout the decision-making process."
