The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw its FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, while calling on world football’s governing body to adopt a more consultative and transparent approach to decisions affecting the game’s future.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said the withdrawal created an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of consultation over major global football initiatives.
He urged FIFA to ensure that any similar proposals in future are presented, at the appropriate time and with the highest level of transparency, to the continental confederations, the FIFA Council, national member associations and all other relevant stakeholders.
“The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game,” said Sheikh Salman.
He added that the AFC was ready to support initiatives that strengthened the unity of the football community, contributed to the development of the sport worldwide and delivered tangible benefits to all parties.
The AFC had previously expressed anger that FIFA introduced the idea without first consulting the continental confederations.
Sheikh Salman also thanked the AFC’s national member associations, praising them for the unity and solidarity they had shown during the dispute.
“I am proud that all our national member associations stood together and placed their trust in the AFC to seek answers on their behalf on a matter of such importance to the future governance of global football,” he said.
“I thank them for their patience, solidarity and unity, and reaffirm that the AFC will always act in their best interests.”
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, announced early on Saturday that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project had been withdrawn after opposition to the proposal intensified in recent days among several continental confederations and senior football officials.
In a statement, Infantino said the project had been intended to “provide a basis to further strengthen FIFA’s member associations, support football across the world, particularly in countries most in need”.
He said the proposal had always been conditional on securing the support of a majority of FIFA’s national member associations. Infantino also stated that it would have been subject to consultation with national associations, the FIFA Council, the continental confederations and other stakeholders.
The plan had envisaged the creation of a new company to manage commercial activities and organise competitions. It would also have allowed a stake in that company to be sold to private-sector investors.
UEFA rejected the proposal outright and threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions if the plan went ahead. The AFC and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) later joined the opposition.
The controversy also led to the resignation of American Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, in protest at the project. Frenchman Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, also criticised the proposal publicly.
Infantino’s decision to withdraw it brought an end to one of the most contentious projects in FIFA’s history. Sheikh Salman’s statement welcomed that decision but also made clear the AFC’s view that the future of global football should not be shaped by unexpected initiatives introduced without the involvement of the sport’s governing bodies.
