The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has opted for consultation rather than confrontation over FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative, becoming the first continental confederation to signal it will formally evaluate the plan instead of immediately rejecting it.
In a statement released on Wednesday, CAF confirmed it had received official correspondence from FIFA regarding the proposal and would begin internal consultations before taking a position. The move comes as the initiative continues to divide world football, with UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) all expressing strong reservations over the plan, citing governance concerns and a lack of prior consultation.CAF, however, struck a more measured tone, saying the proposal would first be assessed by its leadership and member associations.”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,” CAF said in its statement.
The continental football governing body also urged its 54 member associations to study the proposal and actively participate in FIFA’s consultation process before any final decision is reached.”CAF also encourages its Member Associations to examine the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and participate in the consultation process in accordance with CAF and FIFA’s regulations and established procedures.”CAF stressed that its priority remains securing increased financial resources for football development while ensuring decisions are reached through dialogue with all stakeholders.
Kenya eyes CECAFA Challenge Cup to usher in matches at Talanta Stadium”CAF is committed to continue consulting and working together with its Member Associations, FIFA, other Football Confederations and stakeholders in support of increasing financial and other resources for the development and growth of football in Africa and worldwide.”FIFA seeking to unlock billionsThe consultation follows FIFA’s unveiling of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, a new commercial entity that would combine FIFA’s broadcast, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing rights under one structure.
According to FIFA, the proposal is designed to unlock the commercial value of its competitions while dramatically increasing development funding for its 211 member associations. Under the plan, FIFA Forward funding would rise from USD 8 million to USD 20 million per member association during the 2027-2030 cycle, with additional voluntary funding of up to USD 20 million available for major infrastructure projects through a new FIFA Fast Forward Programme.
FIFA says the initiative would be financed through an initial capital raise of up to USD 4.2 billion, based on an estimated valuation of USD 20 billion, while insisting it would retain full control of football governance and competitions.FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the proposal as a way of ensuring football’s commercial success benefits every corner of the world.Here we go again – Kolo Muani at Juventus!”Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it,” Infantino said. “This is about the democratisation of football worldwide.”Despite FIFA’s assurances, the proposal has generated significant opposition.
UEFA has emerged as its fiercest critic, warning that “the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade” and reportedly exploring possible retaliatory measures.CONCACAF criticised the process, arguing the proposal was made public before formal discussions with key stakeholders had taken place, while the AFC has objected to what it says was a complete lack of prior consultation.It is now official: Neymar ends his international career