Qatar Football Association criticizes its Asian counterpart and calls for "transparency and consultation"

The Kuwait Football Association criticized its Asian counterpart, stating that any collective position “must be based on prior consultation,” following a joint statement issued by the Asian Confederation in partnership with UEFA and CONCACAF, in which the three confederations attacked FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his controversial plan to create a commercial company.

Last Monday, the three continental confederations published an “open letter to the football family,” asserting that football “does not belong to anyone” and that leadership “is not about possessing power to retain or claim it, but rather a duty of service to the football family.”

The project, which FIFA later announced it had abandoned, involved creating a company named “FIFA Forward Enterprise,” an entity open to private sector investors responsible for managing FIFA’s commercial activities and events.

In response, the Kuwait Football Association issued a statement, distributed yesterday by its media director, calling for “a written clarification regarding the consultation process that preceded the issuance of the statement,” and seeking to understand “the mechanism for informing or consulting member national associations, and clarifying the basis upon which the Asian Confederation spoke collectively on behalf of its members.”

Kuwait Football Association President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani stated in the message that “the Kuwait Football Association was not consulted, either formally or informally, prior to the issuance of the statement.” He added, “Nor did it receive any prior notice or draft of the statement, nor was it given the opportunity to comment on or contribute to its content before it was published under the name of the Asian Confederation and on behalf of its members.”

He considered that “any position presented as a collective stance of member associations must be based on a clear consultation process preceding its announcement, and that collective consensus should not be assumed without consulting the members.”

The Kuwait Football Association emphasized “the importance of adhering to proper institutional procedures and standards of governance and transparency,” noting that “issuing a statement speaking on behalf of Asian Confederation members without consulting them raises questions about the mechanism used to adopt such positions.”

The federation also affirmed “the necessity of applying principles of transparency and consultation consistently, in order to preserve the credibility of the Asian Confederation and enhance trust among its members.”

FIFA President Infantino has been struggling to retain his position amid a wave of criticism over his now-cancelled plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

While the Oceania Football Confederation welcomed the decision to freeze the investment plan on Friday, it did not call for Infantino’s resignation.

The Swiss-Italian received a boost of support from US President Donald Trump, who stated on Monday that FIFA “would make a grave mistake if it thought, for any reason, even for a single moment, of replacing its president, Gianni Infantino.”

African Football Confederation President Patrice Motsepe said that Infantino’s future should be decided solely through elections.

Just a few weeks ago, Infantino appeared poised for a comfortable re-election in March 2027, following the 2026 World Cup, which is projected to be the most profitable in history, with revenues reaching approximately $15 billion.