Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso stated on Friday, July 31, that football must be kept out of private hands and remain “for the people,” joining a growing wave of opposition against FIFA’s proposal to sell stakes in the business operations of the World Cup.
Speaking in Sydney during Chelsea’s pre-season tour, the Spanish World Cup winner backed UEFA’s firm stance against creating a commercial subsidiary to manage FIFA’s premier tournaments and open them up to private equity investment.
“I think that football has to be for the people, not in private hands,” Alonso said. “And I think that’s the way we love it. We have seen a great World Cup, and some things they (should) stay the same way. So it’s good to defend the interests from other people.”
European football’s governing body, UEFA, previously announced its readiness to boycott FIFA competitions over the initiative, arguing that the sport “cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return.”
Despite mounting pushback, FIFA declared its intention to proceed with an “open and democratic” consultation process with stakeholders, claiming the commercial restructure could raise up to $4.2 billion.
Alonso, who was a central figure in Spain’s 2010 World Cup triumph, expressed hope that the plan would be scrapped.
“I think that it’s the common feeling of football people that we want something that we keep in the hands of everyone, that it’s for all the people. So hopefully it won’t happen,” he added. “Hopefully, we’ll keep the game as attractive and as authentic as we like it, and that’s why it creates these emotions, these passions we’ve seen in the World Cup, in the Champions League, you see in the Premier League, because it’s for everyone.”
To take effect, FIFA’s plan must be approved by the 38-member FIFA Council and a majority of its 211 member associations.
Alonso’s comments follow Chelsea’s recent 6-4 pre-season victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in his opening match in charge, ahead of their scheduled fixture against fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney on Saturday.