Real Madrid, Juventus join growing revolt against FIFA spinoff plan

Opposition to FIFA's plan to create a $20 billion commercial subsidiary and sell a minority stake to private investors escalated on Friday as Real Madrid and Juventus joined a growing coalition of clubs and confederations challenging the scheme.

Clubs Challenge FIFA's Authority

Bloomberg reported that the two European heavyweights, alongside other teams, contend that FIFA lacks the authority to spin off its commercial business, asserting that the governing body does not own the sport and relies on clubs to sustain its operations. The clubs argue they own player rights, fund salaries, and absorb the risks of player injuries — yet receive little or no direct compensation when lending players to national teams for FIFA tournaments.swissinfo+1

Representatives from both Real Madrid and Juventus have held discussions with other European clubs and UEFA, the European football federation, according to people familiar with the matter. They join Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, which had already publicly criticized the plan. Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmund's chairman, said earlier this week that "many in European football view FIFA's plans as an outright attack on the sport".swissinfo

Opposition Widens Across Confederations

The Asian Football Confederation on Friday became the latest regional body to oppose the plan, saying it "stands in solidarity" with UEFA and CONCACAF. The AFC said the proposal, backed by New York-based investor Joshua Kushner, "cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward" and called on FIFA to undertake "an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework".winnipegfreepress

UEFA had threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments on Thursday, while CONCACAF rejected Infantino's offer of $20 million to each member federation.winnipegfreepress

Internal Dissent and What's at Stake

The turmoil also reached inside FIFA itself. Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, announced on Friday that he was quitting the organization in opposition to the plans.swissinfo

FIFA's proposal would transfer major commercial and tournament operations into a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise, initially valued at about $20 billion, with FIFA seeking to raise as much as $4.2 billion from outside investors while retaining sole control through majority board representation. The plan has drawn comparisons to the Spanish league's controversial 2021 sale of commercial rights to CVC Capital Partners, which Real Madrid and Barcelona FC opposed at the time.swissinfo