The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) announced this Friday that it requested complementary information and clarifications from FIFA regarding the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, an initiative that has generated a strong international debate due to its possible impact on the commercial management of tournaments organized by the world body.

Conmebol reported that, after learning of the proposal, it began a consultation process with its member associations and called a meeting of its Council to analyze the issue. As explained in a statement, the objective is to evaluate the initiative "with the responsibility and rigor that the issue demands."

“With this objective, CONMEBOL requested additional information and clarifications from FIFA on different aspects related to the scope, structure, governance and possible effects of the FFE project,” said the South American entity.

The body chaired by Alejandro Domínguez insisted that any decision of a commercial or financial nature must be subordinated to the interest of the sport. "We understand that the development of football requires decisions of a commercial and financial nature. However, these decisions must always be at the service of football and never above its essence," he stated.

Conmebol also called for the unity of world football and maintained that it will continue to act “with prudence, responsibility and a spirit of collaboration” through institutional channels.

FIFA responds to criticism and defends the project

The South American statement came a day after FIFA published a new statement to respond to the criticism that arose around the FFE. The organization chaired by Gianni Infantino assured that the initiative does not seek to sell football or give up control of its governance.

"No one is selling football. This is not something that FIFA would ever consider," the institution said.

FIFA explained that the project aims to consolidate the commercial rights of its competitions - including television, sponsorships, licenses, tickets and preferential services - in order to generate greater income and redistribute them among its 211 member associations.

The body added that the process will be open and democratic and that the proposal will only advance if it receives the majority support of the federations at the next FIFA Congress. He also stated that he will maintain exclusive control over calendars, regulations and sports decisions.

In the same statement, FIFA regretted that “erroneous information published in the media interrupted the planned consultation process” and stressed that each federation must have the opportunity to analyze the proposal and express its vote.

International pressure on the FFE grows

The controversy intensified after a proposal to sell between 20% and 30% of certain commercial rights to private funds emerged. This possibility provoked a unanimous rejection by the 55 federations that make up UEFA, which even warned of the eventual withdrawal of their teams from FIFA tournaments if commercial privatization was insisted upon.

Concacaf also officially communicated its opposition to the project.

While the debate continues, Conmebol chose to maintain a position of analysis and internal consultation before establishing a definitive position, insisting that “football always comes first.”

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