Private investors at FIFA: The cautious but open position of Patrice Motsepe and CAF

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially called on all its member associations to carefully examine FIFA's proposal to create a commercial entity open to private investors. The continental body is thus encouraging African football to actively participate in the comprehensive consultation process initiated by the international organization.

An emergency meeting of the CAF Executive Committee

In an official statement released Wednesday evening, the African governing body announced an upcoming summit meeting chaired by its president, Dr. Patrice Motsepe. This CAF Executive Committee meeting will be primarily dedicated to a thorough evaluation of the strategic initiative known as "FIFA Forward Enterprise."

Revealed earlier this week, FIFA's project is based on the creation of a dedicated commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). This structure will be responsible for managing commercial activities such as broadcasting rights, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing, as well as overseeing major global events like the World Cup and the Club World Cup.

A colossal financial stake of $4.2 billion

FIFA's stated objective is to sell a minority stake in this new entity to private investors in order to raise up to $4.2 billion, based on an estimated overall valuation of the FFE (French Equestrian Federation) of $20 billion. If successful, this move would allow each of the 211 member federations to receive a one-time bonus of $20 million at the beginning of 2027, while increasing their four-year allocation for the 2027-2030 period from $8 million to $20 million.

While FIFA President Gianni Infantino hails it as a historic opportunity to finance the development of global football, the project has met with strong international resistance. UEFA, several major European federations, and the European Union have all sharply criticized the initiative, denouncing its increased commercialization of sport and potential conflicts of interest. For their part, the North American (CONCACAF) and Asian (AFC) confederations have lamented the lack of prior consultation before the project was publicized.

Despite these international reservations, CAF reaffirms its commitment to maintaining dialogue in order to support the increase of financial resources for the development of football on the African continent.