Opposition to FIFA’s proposal to sell a stake in a new commercial subsidiary managing the FIFA World Cup is mounting, with former FIFA president Sepp Blatter becoming the latest high-profile figure to criticise the plan.
Blatter warned that introducing outside investors into the commercial management of the World Cup would undermine the game’s values and transform football into a profit-driven enterprise.
Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, the former FIFA chief said football belongs to its supporters rather than executives or investors.
“Football belongs to no individual and to no institution. It belongs to the people,” Blatter said.
FIFA announced this week that it plans to establish a subsidiary to oversee the commercial rights of the World Cup and other major tournaments, with up to a 20% stake to be offered to external investors.
The proposal has already drawn criticism from European football governing body UEFA, which accused FIFA of effectively putting the game up for sale.
Blatter argued that the World Cup should be regarded as part of football’s global heritage rather than a commercial asset.
“The FIFA World Cup is not a commercial asset that belongs to a handful of executives,” he said. “FIFA is the guardian of the World Cup, not its owner.”
The former FIFA president warned that the governing body’s responsibility is to administer and grow the sport, with revenues benefiting football at every level rather than generating returns for private investors.
Blatter has repeatedly criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino since he took office in 2016, including over the expansion of the men’s World Cup to 48 teams and the awarding of the 2034 tournament to Saudi Arabia.
His latest intervention adds to growing scrutiny over FIFA’s commercial strategy as football authorities debate the future ownership and governance of the sport’s biggest competition.