UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation have called for an independent review of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, citing concerns over FIFA’s leadership, governance and decision-making process.
The joint letter was signed by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Concacaf President Victor Montagliani.
The three confederations said their concerns were not about money or changes to FIFA competitions, but about leadership, governance and trust within the global governing body.
“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution,” the letter said.
The confederations credited cooperation between FIFA, the continental confederations and member associations for football’s growth in recent years.
They cited the expansion of FIFA competitions, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups and the distribution of FIFA funding to member associations as examples of decisions reached collectively.
The letter focused on the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and the way it was presented. UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC said the proposal was introduced on a short timeline without sufficient consultation with member associations.
They also rejected FIFA’s characterization of the controversy as a communication failure.
The three confederations described the proposal to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup as a serious error in judgment and a breach of trust.
They rejected FIFA’s plan to conduct an internal review and instead called for an independent third party to investigate the matter.
“The FIFA administration should play no role in conducting the review,” the letter said.
The confederations also called for all documents and records related to the proposal to be preserved.
They raised concerns about a recent FIFA leadership meeting in Morocco, saying only one elected official attended and that no FIFA Council members or representatives of member associations were invited.
The letter also criticized a separate meeting involving selected members of FIFA’s Management Committee, saying it raised additional questions about the organization’s decision-making process.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the letter said.
UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC stressed that they were not seeking to overturn decisions already reached collectively, including the allocation of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, competition expansions or financial support for member associations.
Instead, they said the dispute centers on accountability and FIFA’s governance.
The three confederations ended their letter by calling for unity and leadership focused on serving football rather than any individual.
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