Newly appointed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated on Tuesday that he opposes FIFA's plan to establish a commercial company and open up equity to private investors.
Opposition is growing against Gianni Infantino and FIFA's plan to establish and sell commercial subsidiaries. UEFA members will hold an emergency meeting this week, and British Prime Minister Burnham also spoke out publicly on the matter on Tuesday. Burnham criticized FIFA and its president's commercialization efforts in a social media post.
"Let me be very direct, football doesn't belong to the investors," said the man who took office as head of the British government on July 20. "It belongs to the people in the stands, to those who stand on the sidelines every week, rain or shine."
FIFA could potentially receive huge sums of money.
FIFA is looking to create new revenue streams by establishing a commercial company that will manage the broadcasting rights for several sporting events, including the World Cup. FIFA estimates the company's value at around $20 billion (approximately €17.5 billion) and hopes to raise nearly $4.2 billion (€3.7 billion) by selling some assets to investors.
Similarly, FIFA's choice of partners for this subsidiary has also raised questions. If Thrive Capital becomes a minority shareholder, it means that someone closely associated with Trump will be involved in this global football organization: Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law and the son of the US ambassador to France.
"Once you sell a portion, it's equivalent to selling the whole thing."
Despite FIFA and Gianni Infantino's defense of the plan, arguing that it would generate more revenue for all member football associations, this capitalization approach was not welcomed by the British Prime Minister.
“The World Cup is not a commodity. It is the greatest sporting event in the world, and it has never belonged to anyone that can be sold,” Burnham, a Labour Party member from the Liverpool suburbs, continued to defend popular football. “You can package it however you want. Once you sell a portion, you’ve sold the whole thing.”
He concluded by saying, "Football belongs to the fans. That has always been true, and it always will be true."
