FIFA’s $20B investment plan draws EU competition law warning as UEFA threatens boycott

FIFA wants to turn international football into a $20 billion investable asset class. The European Union just told them to slow down. EU sport and culture commissioner Glen Micallef warned on July 29 that FIFA’s plan to attract external investment through a new subsidiary could raise significant competition law concerns. The warning adds a regulatory dimension to what was already shaping up as the ugliest power struggle in global football governance in years. The $4.2 billion play Here’s the setup. FIFA wants to create a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE, and sell minority equity stakes to outside investors. The goal is to raise up to $4.2 billion, with the venture valued at roughly $20 billion. J.P. Morgan is working with FIFA to facilitate the deal. Thrive Eternal, the investment firm led by Joshua Kushner, is expected to head the investor group. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has framed the initiative as a way to democratize football globally. The pitch to FIFA’s 211 member associations, who need to approve the plan by majority vote, is straightforward: more money for everyone. Development fund contributions would jump from the current $8 million per cycle to som...