FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, has described the decision to abandon Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup as “absolutely necessary and beyond question.”
The former Arsenal manager, who joined FIFA in 2019, became the latest prominent figure to criticise the plan, which involved offering a 20 per cent share of the tournament to private equity investors through FIFA Forward Enterprise.
The proposal attracted widespread opposition, with three continental confederations rejecting the idea and eventually forcing Infantino to withdraw it. UEFA had also threatened to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the move went ahead.
Wenger, Arsenal’s most successful manager, stated on Tuesday that he was not involved in developing the proposal and only learned about it through media reports.
“The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side. At FIFA, I am the Chief of Global Football Development. Together with my team, I oversee the data analysis of the game, the FIFA online training centre, the development of youth education through 60 academies across 60 countries where they are most needed, and youth competitions around the world.
“In addition, I am a technical adviser to IFAB. 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,” he said in a statement.
