CAF Releases Statement on Proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise by Gianni Infantino
- CAF said it received official correspondence from FIFA on the proposed Forward Enterprise initiative and plans to consult its member associations
- FIFA's proposed programme reportedly involves selling part of its commercial rights to private equity, with each member association set to receive $40 million over four years
- CAF President Patrice Motsepe is set to convene an Executive Committee meeting next week to assess the FIFA proposal and decide where the continent stands
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has broken its silence on the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, saying it will hold formal consultations with African member associations before taking a position on the proposal.
CAF issued a statement confirming it had received official correspondence from FIFA regarding the programme, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino put forward.
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The Confederation said CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe will chair a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee next week to, among other things, assess and evaluate the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.
“As part of this consultation process, the CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, will host a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee next week, to inter alia, assess and evaluate the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative,” the CAF statement read.
The African body also encouraged its members to study the proposal carefully and participate in active discussions about it.
What the FIFA Forward Enterprise entails
The initiative centres on selling a portion of FIFA's events commercial rights to private equity investors as a way to boost the world body's revenue.
FIFA released a statement saying the programme would inject more than $10 billion into football, with each member association expected to receive $40 million over the next four years.
However, the proposal drew immediate criticism after it emerged that FIFA did not brief member associations ahead of the plan becoming public.
The Times first reported on the initiative and also alleged that Infantino stood to benefit financially from the arrangement, a claim that intensified scrutiny of the programme.
UEFA was the most vocal in its objection, registering strong opposition to the plan. Other confederations also confirmed they had not been directly informed by FIFA before the proposal became public knowledge, raising concerns about transparency and governance within the world football body.
CAF's response was notably more measured compared to UEFA's outright rejection. Rather than opposing the initiative, the African confederation indicated it would allow the deliberation process to run its course before arriving at any collective position.
FIFA statement on African countries
Legit.ng previously reported that FIFA released a statement on African countries after the completion of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
FIFA grouped the 10 African representatives based on their level of performance, singling out the Atlas Lions of Morocco for the highest praise.
Source: Legit.ng
