FIFA investment plan cancellation was ‘absolutely necessary’, says Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has backed FIFA’s decision to abandon plans to bring private investment into its competitions, saying the move was “absolutely necessary” and that he had not been involved in the project.

FIFA had proposed selling about 20% of a new entity that would oversee its competitions, including the World Cup, in a deal that could have raised up to $4.2bn. The plan was withdrawn after widespread criticism from across the football community.

Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, said in an official statement reported by the BBC: “The recent events within FIFA require clarification from my side.”

He added: “I was not part of this project, and I first learned about it through the media.”

The former Arsenal manager said the decision to end the proposal was essential because of the need for an independent governing body.

“The decision to cancel the project was absolutely necessary and without question, because I believe in the need for an independent FIFA that serves football with commitment, transparency and integrity,” Wenger said.

The proposed structure had been put forward by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. It would have created a separate commercial organisation to manage the governing body’s competitions while allowing outside investors to buy stakes in it.

The plan attracted strong opposition from football officials and confederations, with UEFA threatening to take further action if the proposal remained in place. European national teams had previously announced they would boycott FIFA competitions “as long as these proposals remained”.

CONCACAF formally rejected the proposal, while the Asian Football Confederation also announced its opposition.

The decision to withdraw the investment plan comes as FIFA attempts to restore stability and maintain the confidence of its member associations ahead of the next stage of its work.

In a separate internal memo, FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom acknowledged the disruption caused by the events of the previous week.

“What happened during the last week was difficult to understand and accept,” Grafstrom wrote.

He continued: “We went through a period of turmoil, but we must continue to focus on serving football and the member associations.”

Grafstrom also urged FIFA staff to maintain their standards during the organisation’s latest crisis.

“We must maintain our professionalism, as crises pass, but our responsibility towards football continues,” he said.

The abandoned proposal had been presented as a way of creating a commercial body capable of attracting major external investment into FIFA’s competitions. However, it quickly became the subject of intense scrutiny, prompting objections from European football and other parts of the international game.

Wenger’s comments represent a public distancing from the project by a senior FIFA figure. He said he had not been part of the plans and only became aware of them through media reports.

FIFA’s withdrawal followed the threat of escalating measures from UEFA and the wider criticism directed at the proposal. The governing body now faces the task of rebuilding trust with its member associations while continuing to manage its competitions, including the World Cup, without the proposed investment structure.