Arsène Wenger Supports FIFA's Decision to Abandon Investment Plan

Arsène Wenger has broken his silence on the controversial World Cup investment proposal, backing FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s decision to abandon the plan and calling the U-turn “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.

The former Arsenal manager, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, issued a pointed statement on Tuesday, a week after details first emerged of Infantino’s intention to create a new commercial arm, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), and sell a 20 per cent stake to private equity.

The idea met a brick wall. Three continental confederations rejected it outright, with UEFA going further and threatening to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the project was pushed through. Under that pressure, Infantino pulled back.

Wenger has now made clear where he stands.

“The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side,” the Frenchman said in his statement, before setting out his role inside the organisation. “At FIFA, I am the Chief of Global Football Development.

“Together with my team, I oversee the data analysis of the game, the FIFA online training centre, the development of youth education through 60 academies across 60 countries where they are most needed, and youth competitions around the world. In addition, I am a technical adviser to IFAB.”

Then came the key line. Wenger stressed he had no hand in the FFE blueprint and only learned of it when the story broke publicly.

“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports,” he said.

That distance matters. Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino’s senior advisers, chose to resign over the affair. Wenger, by contrast, is staying in post, but his message leaves no doubt about his stance on the project itself.

“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”

In a few lines, Wenger did two things: protected his own credibility inside the game and underlined a principle that goes to the heart of FIFA’s future — that football’s global governing body, in his view, must remain independent while it claims to serve the sport.