• FIFA has cancelled its controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise project after widespread criticism and concerns that the proposal was dividing the global football community.

• The project would have created a new FIFA-owned commercial company and sold a 20% stake to private investors, with the aim of raising billions of dollars for football development worldwide.

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the proposal will not proceed because it had become too divisive, stressing that FIFA’s goal remains to unite the game and continue supporting football development, especially in countries that need it most.

FIFA has officially cancelled its controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project after it sparked widespread criticism and divided football stakeholders around the world.

The decision was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who said the governing body had decided to withdraw the proposal because it was no longer serving its original purpose of uniting and developing football.

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He added:

The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was a proposed new commercial company that would have been fully owned and controlled by FIFA.

Under the plan, FIFA intended to place the commercial rights to its major tournaments, including the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups, Club World Cups, sponsorships, broadcasting rights, ticketing and licensing, under the new company.

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FIFA then planned to sell a 20% minority stake in the company to long-term private investors. The proposal valued the company at about US$20 billion, with FIFA expecting to raise around US$4.2 billion from the sale.

According to FIFA, the money would not have been used to enrich investors or change how football is governed. Instead, the governing body said the funds would have been invested back into football development across its 211 member associations, particularly in countries with fewer financial resources.

If approved, every member association could have received:

An optional US$20 million in immediate development funding through a new FIFA Fast Forward Programme.

Increased FIFA Forward funding between 2027 and 2038, rising from the current levels to as much as US$24 million per association by the final funding cycle.

Infantino said the project was designed to strengthen football especially in countries where the support was most needed.

Although FIFA insisted it would remain in full control of football governance and competitions, many football officials feared the proposal would allow private investors to gain influence over the sport’s biggest commercial assets. Several football bodies, including UEFA, criticised the proposal, arguing that changes of such importance required greater consultation and transparency.

READ ALSO: UEFA nations vow to boycott FIFA World Cups over private investment proposal

Reports also indicated that some European football associations discussed the possibility of boycotting FIFA competitions if the proposal went ahead. The proposal quickly became one of the biggest governance controversies during Gianni Infantino’s presidency.

Infantino said FIFA had always made it clear that the project would only move forward if it had broad support from member associations and football stakeholders. After weeks of criticism, FIFA concluded that the divisions created by the proposal outweighed its potential benefits.

He added that FIFA would instead bring stakeholders back together to continue discussions on how best to grow football globally.

READ ALSO: FIFA defends forward enterprise proposal, denies plans to ‘sell football’

The FIFA Forward Enterprise project has been abandoned, meaning there will be no sale of a minority stake in FIFA’s commercial business.

Instead, FIFA says it will continue consulting its member associations, confederations and other stakeholders on future ways of increasing investment in football development without causing further divisions.