FIFA faces renewed transparency demands after retreat on World Cup sell-off plan

On Saturday FIFA faced repeated demands for transparency after suddenly advancing to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup-a significant move that prompted severe pushback from regional bodies which said had been taken aback.

The rapid turnaround has revealed mounting anxiety within world soccer over FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s leadership style driving demands for greater oversight of decisions that could reshape the governance and commercial future of the sport.

The plan announced on Tuesday immediately ran into a wall of opposition from regional confederations which conferred on a significant move that could transform the commercial structure of world football.

In this connection, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman writes, “Any initiative that has the potential to impact global football will be presented and discussed with the Confederation.”

“The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established structure of our game, Sheikh continues.”

The recent controversy comes at an uncomfortable moment for Infantino who said in April that he is running for re-election for a fourth term as FIFA president.

His re-election for the 2027-31 term had appeared to be a formality amid the growing backlash and complaints among some FIFA members over the unsuccessful proposal could complicate his journey ahead of next year’s FIFA Congress in Morocco.

Nonetheless, the speed of the turnaround has been especially striking, coming less than two weeks after Infantino was celebrating the most successful World Cup in history.