The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will hold an urgent executive committee meeting next week to examine Gianni Infantino’s contentious plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
FIFA announced on Tuesday that its president intends to create a new structure in which shares of the World Cup would be offered to private-sector investors. Under the proposal, Infantino would assume a role comparable to a commissioner overseeing this new project.
The move has triggered a wave of criticism directed at Infantino and the initiative, with strong objections emerging from UEFA and several national associations, including the English Football Association.
CAF response and planned meeting
CAF on Wednesday became the latest confederation to respond publicly, issuing a statement on its official website confirming that its executive committee will meet under the chairmanship of president Patrice Motsepe next week.
The African body said the meeting was being convened after it received an official letter from FIFA outlining details of the new project. CAF added that its leadership would “examine, evaluate and study” the proposal before formulating a position.
CAF also called on its member associations across the continent to conduct their own assessments of the plan and submit their views, so that African stakeholders can fully participate in FIFA’s ongoing consultation process with continental and national federations.
Consultation and financial focus
In its statement, CAF underlined that FIFA is currently engaged in discussions with both confederations and national associations around the world over the World Cup investment concept, and that African input would be part of that wider consultation.
CAF concluded by stressing its commitment to continued dialogue and joint work with its member associations, FIFA and the other continental confederations. The organisation reiterated that its priority is to support efforts to increase the financial resources available for the development and growth of football.
While CAF did not explicitly endorse or oppose Infantino’s proposal, its decision to convene its top decision-making body signals the seriousness with which it views the potential implications of partially selling World Cup commercial rights to private investors.
Background to the dispute
FIFA’s plan, as outlined in its official communication, centres on restructuring the commercial side of the World Cup so that external investors can acquire equity-like stakes in the competition. Infantino’s envisaged commissioner-style role would give him wide-ranging authority over the operation of this new framework.
The announcement immediately drew a series of strongly worded responses from within the game, led by UEFA and supported by several national federations. Critics have raised concerns about governance, control and the long-term impact of private investment on football’s showpiece tournament.
CAF’s intervention positions Africa as an active participant in the global debate over how the World Cup is run and financed, with its forthcoming executive committee meeting set to shape the continent’s unified stance in talks with FIFA.
