FA 'deeply concerned' as uproar grows over FIFA plan to sell $4bn stake

The FA is "deeply concerned" by FIFA's controversial plan to sell a stake in its competitions - as other federations said they had also been blindsided by the announcement.

FIFA wants to set up a separate $20bn company to run its competitions, with 20% of it ($4bn) offered to external investors.

Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, is reportedly in line to be the lead investor in the subsidiary, to be called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

The plans announced on Tuesday have sparked accusations football is being "sold off" and follow a string of controversies surrounding the recent World Cup.

A spokesperson for England's Football Association (FA) said it had been "completely unaware" of the proposal.

They said the organisation was "deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved".

"When the proposal is shared in the full and transparent way now promised by FIFA, we will make our views clear, and comment further," the FA added.

European governing body UEFA has also savaged the plan.

It urged clubs and national football associations to speak out and said the proposal "crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross".

"The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade - especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA's to sell," said UEFA.

European nations are discussing boycotting the World Cup if FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushes ahead.

Mr Infantino has promised the new entity will solely be focused on "generating as much value as possible" for national associations to invest in homegrown football.

However, regional governing bodies said they had been blindsided and accused FIFA of not consulting them.

CONCACAF, which looks after football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, said it discovered the plans second hand - despite its leader, Victor Montagliani, being a FIFA vice president.

It said it was disappointed details were "shared publicly before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place".

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also said it was caught unawares by the plan.

"Initiatives of this scale and consequence must be founded upon the principles of good governance, transparency and meaningful consultation," the AFC said.

A similar rebuke came from the European Football Clubs (EFC) organisation, led by Mr Infantino's global football power rival, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain and chair of the beIN media network.

It said the EFC had "serious concern" over the "sudden, unilateral media briefings and announcement by FIFA".

The head of the Czech FA is a current outlier in supporting FIFA's plan.

David Trunda told Mark Kleinman, Sky's City editor, it would provide valuable extra funding for grassroots football and infrastructure.

"Of course we need more details, but my personal point of view is that I can see the positive impact of FIFA's intentions," Mr Trunda said.

Infantino issues deadline

Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris said Mr Infantino had given national associations until 19 September to back his plan, with a boosted $40m incentive to accept.

He made the offer in a letter to FIFA's 211 member associations.

Mr Infantino warned they would have much less cash for development, grassroots football and national teams if they didn't support his plan.

He said the launch of FFE needed the backing of its ruling council and more than 50% of its members.

Mr Infantino wrote: "Should neither condition be satisfied, FIFA will continue as planned with the Forward Programme 4.0… meaning approximately $10m per ME [Member Association] for the next cycle."

One football figure told The Times it was "pure bribery".

FIFA has not commented on how much Mr Infantino stands to benefit financially from delivering the $20bn venture.

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In his letter, the Italian called it a "singular and unique funding opportunity only for those Member Associations who wish to participate, with their decision to be made by 19 September 2026 so we can plan ahead and with funds to be available immediately as of 1 January 2027".

He said the new company would be "fully focused on one target objective; generating as much value as possible for FIFA's Member Associations".

Thrive Capital - an investment firm run by Joshua Kushner, is being positioned as the lead backer of the deal.

Mr Infantino has been accused of being too close to Mr Trump. He awarded him a special FIFA peace prize in the run up to the World Cup and suspended a red card given to America's star player after the president called him during the tournament.

The growing commercialisation of the event, such as soaring ticket prices and the introduction of hydration breaks (which allow more adverts to be shown), has also been widely criticised.

FIFA's boss said critics of this summer's World Cup were "consumed by hate" and had spread "false rumours".

In a statement on his own and FIFA's Instagram accounts on Monday, he said they missed all the "joy and happiness" the tournament had brought.

(c) Sky News 2026: FA 'deeply concerned' as uproar grows over FIFA plan to sell $4bn stake