FIFA's plan to hand ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors would permanently subordinate football's future to shareholder returns. Decisions on competition formats and the international calendar would be driven by profit, not the good of the game. This proposal was cooked up in secret and forced on national associations through intimidation — that's not democracy, that's a shakedown.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise plan is a voluntary, democratic proposal that would more than double development funding for all 211 member associations — from $8 million to $20 million per cycle. FIFA retains full control over sporting decisions, competition formats and the match calendar, so the game itself stays protected. Blocking this deal means the smallest football nations lose out on the biggest development investment in sports history.
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