Former FIFA president says football’s greatest assets must never become private investment products as opposition to Gianni Infantino’s commercial plans gathers momentum.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has delivered a strong warning against FIFA’s controversial proposal to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), insisting that the governing body must never treat the FIFA World Cup as a commercial asset for private investors.
Speaking as opposition to the proposal intensified across world football, Blatter argued that FIFA’s primary responsibility is to protect the integrity of the game rather than maximise commercial returns.
“FIFA is not a private equity fund. It is an association with statutes, regulations, and a fiduciary responsibility to protect the global game. If you sell football’s crown jewels to private investors, you also sell part of the game – especially its soul. Money matters, but it must never become everything,” Blatter said.
His intervention came as FIFA sought support from its 211 member associations for FIFA Forward Enterprise, a proposed commercial subsidiary that would have consolidated FIFA’s commercial and event-delivery operations while attracting external investment. FIFA maintained that the initiative would generate significantly higher revenues for football development without surrendering governance or ownership of its competitions.
The proposal immediately divided the global football community.
UEFA became the first confederation to reject the initiative, warning that “the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade” and insisting that the FIFA World Cup “is not FIFA’s to sell.” Concacaf later rejected the proposal outright, while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also expressed serious concerns over the governance process and called for FIFA to reconsider its approach.
Critics argued that FIFA had developed one of the most significant commercial proposals in the sport’s history without sufficient consultation with confederations, member associations or even FIFA’s own statutory bodies. Several football organisations questioned why outside investment was necessary after FIFA reported record revenues from the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Blatter’s comments echoed concerns expressed by a growing number of football administrators who warned that introducing private investors into FIFA’s flagship competitions could fundamentally alter how decisions are made regarding the international calendar, tournament formats and the future direction of the game.
The former FIFA president has frequently criticised Infantino’s leadership since leaving office, but his latest remarks represented one of his strongest interventions on the issue, framing the debate as one about football’s identity rather than its finances.
For Blatter, the World Cup represents more than a commercial property.
Instead, he argued, it is a sporting institution built over generations by players, supporters, clubs and national associations, and one whose long-term stewardship should never be subordinated to investor expectations.