FIFA’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup has provoked a “very serious situation” for the game, Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) president Lise Klaveness said on Friday.
“This is a very serious situation for Norwegian and international football. It is very dramatic,” Klaveness told reporters after UEFA member associations raised objections in a meeting.
UEFA and its 55 member nations voted on Thursday to boycott all FIFA tournaments in protest at the global governing body’s plan to create a $20-billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to run the World Cup and its other events, with a stake of up to 20 percent to be offered to external investors.
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Klaveness praised the strong pushback against the proposals, which critics have labelled anti-democratic and driven by external financial interests.
“Everyone who spoke said it was unacceptable. The word ‘blackmail’ was used. Not by us, but by others.
“Bringing external owners into football’s core business is an alien element, and it should remain an alien element.”
