Adedokun Waliyu 
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has called on its member associations to carefully review FIFA’s proposal to allow private investors to acquire minority stakes in the commercial rights of its major competitions, including the FIFA World Cup.
CAF announced that its President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, will convene a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee next week to assess and evaluate the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative.
Under the proposal, FIFA plans to establish a new commercial subsidiary that will manage its flagship tournaments, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup. While private investors would be allowed to purchase minority stakes, FIFA would retain overall control of the company.
FIFA hopes to raise up to $4.2 billion, valuing the new commercial entity at approximately $20 billion.
If approved, the initiative would provide each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-time payment of $20 million in early 2027. It would also increase the funding allocated to each association for the 2027–2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the proposal as a “golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of football globally.”
However, the plan has attracted criticism from several football governing bodies and officials. UEFA, several leading European football federations, and European Union officials have expressed concerns that the proposal could further commercialise the sport and create potential conflicts of interest.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also questioned the process, arguing that FIFA made the proposal public before adequately consulting all 211 member associations.
CAF said it remains committed to consulting with its member associations while supporting efforts to increase financial resources for the development and growth of football across Africa and worldwide.
