Ex-FIFA chief Blatter blasts plan to sell stake in World Cup to investors

FIFA's recent announcement of plans to establish a new corporate subsidiary for managing the World Cup has drawn sharp criticism from football leadership. The governing body intends to offer minority stakes of up to 20 percent in the subsidiary to outside investors, a move designed to generate approximately $20 billion in capital.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who led the organization for 17 years until 2015, expressed strong opposition to the proposal. Blatter contended that transforming FIFA into a profit-driven corporate entity would fundamentally compromise the organization's core values and mission. He emphasized that football as a sport belongs to its global community of fans and participants, not to individual executives or institutions.

Blatter further argued that the World Cup should not become an investment vehicle for private equity firms seeking financial returns. He characterized the tournament as part of world football's cultural heritage rather than a commercial commodity available for sale. According to Blatter, he would never have entertained such a proposal during his tenure leading FIFA.

The proposal has generated significant backlash from European football authorities as well. UEFA and other continental football bodies have publicly objected, with some characterizing FIFA's plan as putting the sport itself up for sale. These organizations view investor involvement as fundamentally misaligned with the principles that have sustained modern football for over a century, which Blatter identified as the sport's connection to its people rather than to profit-seeking entities.