CONCACAF 'rejects' Gianni Infantino's plan to sell off parts of FIFA to private equity after UEFA threatens boycott

Infantino's plan shocked the football world on Wednesday. Reportedly without consulting any of FIFA's six football federations, the FIFA President unveiled a sweeping change to move all of FIFA's commercial operations to a separate company - of which 20 percent would be available to private investors.

Numerous confederations, including CONCACAF, released initial statements expressing their skepticism. However, on Thursday, the body drew a firmer line in a statement:

"Concacaf today convened a meeting of the presidents of its 41 Member Associations, together with its President, Council members, and its FIFA Council members, to discuss a proposal developed and presented by the FIFA President to establish ‘FIFA Forward Enterprise’ and sell interests in the FIFA World Cup to private investors...

"During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies. In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned. The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.

"For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations have rejected the proposal."

This comes on the heels of UEFA's protest announcement on Thursday. The European football confederation, which includes 55 of FIFA's 211 member associations, promised that it would boycott all FIFA competitions unless Infantino walked back his proposal. With CONCACAF's public rejection, FIFA would seem to have 96 'no' votes. All proposals need a straight majority to pass.

However, CONCACAF did not fully promise to back out of any FIFA competitions. Their statement, in fact, included a willingness to negotiate on FIFA Forward - the preexisting funding that the governing body already offers to smaller federations:

"[Concacaf and its 41 member associations] have tasked their FIFA Council Members with engaging FIFA to determine how existing vast FIFA reserves could be used to increase FIFA Forward funding for football development across our region."

The United States, hosts of the 2026 World Cup and would-be hosts of the 2031 Women's World Cup, is among CONCACAF's member associations.

The larger picture suggests that Infantino's position at the top of global football could now be a little insecure.

The president seemed likely to run unopposed next Spring at FIFA's elections, but there is now reportedly growing pressure for another candidate to emerge. There was talk PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is among the names floated for a challenge, although he is reportedly reluctant to run for the post. The Athleticreported Thursday afternoon that some CONCACAF members were 'losing confidence' in Infantino's ability to run FIFA.