Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer expressed his relief over the scrapping of FIFA’s recent proposal to sell the rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups to private investors.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Tuesday a plan with private investors to create a $20 billion company which would be in charge of running major football tournaments. The idea was met with immediate backlash from governing bodies like UEFA and CONCACAF and eventually cancelled.
In an interview with Abendzeitung, Hainer expressed his relief over the dismissal of the initiative. “It’s fortunate that this nightmare has passed as quickly as it began, and that this absurd idea is off the table.” Hainer also stated that he hopes no similar plans resurface. “We must now ensure that such an idea is never revived.”
The chairman also backed UEFA’s criticism of FIFA over the lack of transparency surrounding the proposal. “This whole affair is actually unbelievable, that nobody from any of the associations was informed beforehand, and that it all came to light overnight,” said Hainer.
Finally, Hainer made the club’s stance on the privatization of football clear, warning about the risks of potentially handing significant decision-making power to private investors. “Football must remain football. As the supreme governing body, FIFA has the task of organizing football. And if foreign investors want to have a say, then there is always the risk that the fundamental principles and structures of football will be attacked and that something will go wrong,” stated Hainer.
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