Fifa president Gianni Infantino's plans to sell stakes in competitions to private investors have drawn strong criticism. Kevin Lamour, Fifa's chief operating officer, described the proposals as "the project of one person" and stated that Fifa's administration was "deceived" about it. Lamour expressed that a Fifa president "must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them," but "today, we are experiencing the opposite."

This comes as a third confederation, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), spoke out against the plans, joining counterparts in Europe and the Americas. The AFC stated Infantino's plan could not "realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity." Following this, a senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned, calling the proposal "a bad deal for football" and stating it would "mortgage football's future."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham also voiced his opposition, calling Infantino "the wrong man" to lead Fifa. The AFC's stance, along with other confederations, makes it unlikely that Infantino's plans will gain the 106 votes needed for approval. Fifa's proposal involves creating a commercial subsidiary, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), to run its main events, with external investors buying stakes. The plan, detailed in a document by investment bank JP Morgan, aims to increase payouts to member associations but notably omits any mention of the women's game.