Wenger Says Scrapping Infantino’s World Cup Investment Plan Was ‘Absolutely Necessary’

Wenger Says Scrapping Infantino’s World Cup Investment Plan Was ‘Absolutely Necessary’ Former Arsenal manager and FIFA’s head of global football development, Arsène Wenger, has backed the decision to abandon Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity investors, describing the move to scrap it as “absolutely necessary. The proposed plan involved creating a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise FFE, through which FIFA intended to sell up to a 20% stake to outside investors. The venture was reportedly valued at about $20 billion and was designed to raise billions of dollars for football development programmes worldwide. The proposal faced strong opposition from several football authorities, including UEFA, which raised concerns about transparency and the involvement of private investors in assets linked to the World Cup. Following the backlash, FIFA withdrew the plan. Wenger said he was not involved in developing the strategy and only became aware of the project through media reports. He stressed that his role at FIFA focuses on football development, youth programmes and technical matters rather than commercial decisions. “The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary,” Wenger said, adding that he supports the idea of an independent and transparent FIFA that serves the interests of the game. The abandoned proposal had been promoted as a way to increase funding for football development across FIFA’s member associations. FIFA said the new structure could have expanded investment in grassroots football and development projects. However, critics argued that selling a permanent stake connected to one of football’s most valuable properties could create long-term governance concerns and raise questions about the commercial future of the sport. The controversy has added pressure on Infantino’s leadership as FIFA faces renewed debate over transparency, decision-making and the organisation’s relationship with its member associations.