Burnham says World Cup ‘not a product’ following Fifa’s private investment plans

The Prime Minister said ‘football belongs to the fans’.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the World Cup “was never anyone’s to sell”, after Fifa confirmed plans to set up a private company to run its competitions.

Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) would be responsible for bringing together the sale of the football governing body’s commercial rights with the operational delivery of its tournaments.

Fifa said Thrive Eternal, a company set up in April this year which has links to the extended family of US president Donald Trump, would lead the proposed investor group for FFE.

The move has drawn significant criticism from fans in addition to Uefa, which warned against the plan, arguing it “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”.

Mr Burnham joined criticism of the proposal, writing on X the “World Cup is not a product”.

He said: “Let me say this very directly.

“Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.

“The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.

“Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will.”

Fifa said it would retain “exclusive authority” over football governance, competitions, match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

It added the creation of FFE would lead to a significant increase in football development funding to national associations and bring its spending on development to more than 10 billion US dollars (£7.5 billion) over the next four years.

Thrive Eternal, which is expected to head up the proposal, is run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino could become the commissioner or chief executive of the new vehicle from 2031, according to The Times.

He is seeking re-election as Fifa president next year on a four-year term.

In a statement, Uefa said: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross.

“Uefa takes it extremely seriously. So should every national football association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.

“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not Fifa’s to sell.”