Arsene Wenger Backs FIFA U-turn On Private Investment Plan

FIFA’s chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, has said the decision to abandon plans to bring private investment into the governing body’s competitions was the only acceptable outcome after the proposal sparked widespread opposition.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had wanted to establish a commercial subsidiary to manage its biggest tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, while allowing outside investors to purchase stakes in the business.

The proposal also included an offer of $40 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations in return for their backing.

However, the plan collapsed after days of intense criticism, with UEFA’s 55 member associations warning they would boycott all FIFA competitions if it went ahead. Faced with growing resistance, Infantino withdrew the proposal.

Wenger, who has led FIFA’s global football development department since 2019, said he had no involvement in the plan and only learned about it through media reports.

“The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side,” Wenger said in a statement released by FIFA.

“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.

“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”

The former Arsenal manager had previously supported Infantino’s unsuccessful proposal to stage the men’s World Cup every two years. His current role at FIFA includes overseeing football development, data analysis, online education programmes and youth competitions.

Wenger is also among 18 FIFA officials named in a document preservation letter sent by UEFA as the European governing body considers legal action over the abandoned investment proposal.

The controversy has already claimed one senior figure. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned after describing the proposal as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future”.