FIFA has issued an official statement in response to the growing controversy surrounding its proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
İdman.Biz reports that the organisation published a detailed clarification after UEFA and all 55 of its member associations rejected the proposal on July 30.
UEFA had warned that its national teams would not participate in FIFA competitions while the proposals remained in place unless they were fully withdrawn and binding guarantees were provided that FIFA would not open its governance or competitions to private ownership.
CONCACAF subsequently also came out against the idea of bringing private investment into FIFA's commercial structure.
In its latest statement, FIFA said it had heard the concerns raised by the confederations and remained committed to an "open and democratic consultation process".
"We respect the feedback and concerns expressed publicly and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation process," FIFA said.
The governing body argued that the planned consultation process had been disrupted by what it described as inaccurate media reports and stressed that every one of its 211 member associations should have an opportunity to assess the proposal independently.
"Nobody is selling football. That is not something FIFA could ever contemplate," the statement added.
FIFA explained that under the proposal, FFE would take over the organisation's commercial activities and operational work related to its events. The subsidiary would remain permanently owned and controlled by FIFA.
According to FIFA, the commercial value generated through the new structure would be shared among all 211 member associations, allowing them to increase investment in football development in their respective countries.
Under the proposal, every FIFA member association would receive $20 million in FIFA Forward development funding for the four-year period from 2027 to 2030, regardless of whether it supported the FFE plan.
In addition, the proposed FIFA Fast Forward programme would provide a further one-off $20 million in development funding to each member association. Participation would be voluntary, with the additional money financed through external investment. FIFA insists that this would not involve surrendering control or changing the organisation's governance structure.
FIFA also stressed that the plan cannot be implemented without the backing of a majority of its member associations.
"Without majority support from the MAs, FIFA's commercial operations will remain unchanged. FFE will not be created," the organisation said.
FIFA described the current proposal as only the starting point for consultations, meaning its individual components could ultimately be approved, rejected or amended.
The dispute has developed into a major governance confrontation in world football, with UEFA and CONCACAF challenging a proposal that FIFA says could generate unprecedented development funding while preserving its existing governance structure.
