Arsene Wenger Backs FIFA’s Decision to Drop Private Investment Plan
FIFA’s chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, said abandoning the plan to bring private investment into FIFA’s competitions was the only acceptable outcome after the proposal triggered widespread opposition.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had wanted to create a commercial subsidiary to manage its biggest tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, while allowing outside investors to buy stakes.
The proposal also offered $40 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations in exchange for their support.
However, the plan collapsed after days of intense criticism, with UEFA’s 55 member associations warning they would boycott all FIFA competitions if it proceeded. Faced with mounting resistance, Infantino withdrew the proposal.
Wenger, who has led FIFA’s global football development department since 2019, said he had no involvement in the plan and only learned about it through media reports.
In a statement released by FIFA, Wenger said, “The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side. I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports. The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
The former Arsenal manager had previously backed Infantino’s unsuccessful idea to hold the men’s World Cup every two years. His current role at FIFA includes overseeing football development, data analysis, online education programmes and youth competitions.
Wenger is also among 18 FIFA officials named in a document preservation letter sent by UEFA as the European body considers legal action over the abandoned investment proposal.
The controversy has already claimed one senior figure. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned after describing the proposal as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future”.
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