AFC president doubles down on FIFA, calling World Cup plan ‘unacceptable’

Asian Football Confederation main slams deficiency of consultation implicit program to merchantability FIFA World Cup stakes and says it undermines sport’s continental structure.

Asian Football Confederation ‌(AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has branded FIFA’s deficiency of consultation implicit its program ⁠to merchantability stakes successful ⁠the World Cup to backstage investors “totally unacceptable”, saying the determination undermined the sport’s existing continental structure.

The Bahraini’s unusually forthright comments were made successful a missive sent connected Thursday to ⁠the determination body’s 47 subordinate associations, which was seen by the Reuters quality agency.

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FIFA connected Tuesday said it planned to make a $20bn commercialized subsidiary to tally the World Cup and its different events, drafting ⁠criticism from determination confederations, including the AFC, which said they were blindsided by the announcement.

“The AFC notes with large interest and disappointment that it was not consulted by FIFA astatine immoderate level anterior to the nationalist announcement of this proposal,” Sheikh Salman wrote.

“And nor has it received immoderate elaborate governance, fiscal oregon ineligible ‌analysis of the connection and its imaginable repercussions, which is wholly unacceptable.

“Furthermore, the AFC is profoundly acrophobic that FIFA’s unilateral actions look to undermine the precise foundations of continental football, which are based connected solidarity, practice and transparency.”

The Kuala Lumpur-based AFC is 1 of FIFA’s six confederations and is liable for moving determination nine and nationalist squad competitions crossed a immense expanse that encompasses continental Asia, the Middle East and Australia.

The Bahraini said the connection would not win without the enactment of ⁠all of the confederations.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, FIFA elder vice president and president of the Asian Football Confederation, looks connected arsenic FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 76th FIFA Congress 2026 [Bob Frid/EPA]

Sheikh Salman called for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s connection ⁠to beryllium “thoroughly examined and discussed done the due ineligible and governance channels” and questioned the choky timeline fixed to subordinate associations to o.k. the plan.

Infantino said successful a missive to each 211 shot associations this week that they would person $40m each ⁠if they agreed to FIFA’s connection by September 19.

“The AFC is besides amazed that the existent timeline allows an highly constricted play for information of ⁠a connection of specified significance, erstwhile specified decisions should ne'er beryllium ⁠rushed,” wrote Sheikh Salman.

He asked the confederation’s members to debar making a determination connected the connection until the AFC had engaged successful further discussions with FIFA.

“The AFC kindly requests each [member associations] to await the result of these consultations and the completion of the ‌necessary reappraisal processes earlier reaching immoderate presumption regarding the proposal,” helium wrote.

“I guarantee you that the AFC remains afloat committed to moving constructively with each [member associations], FIFA and stakeholders to beforehand the interests of ‌football ‌and guarantee that the continued maturation of the crippled is built connected a instauration of trust, transparency and unity.”

Al Jazeera has asked FIFA for a effect to the missive from the AFC.