Principal reaction to FIFA's private investor plan

PARIS, JULY 29: FIFA's plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a semi-private subsidiary has sparked disbelief and outrage globally.

AFP Sport highlights the pick of the reaction:

Sporting
"The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade -- especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA's to sell."

"Many in European football see FIFA's plans as an absolute attack on football. I share this view. A line has been crossed here.

"At the World Cup, six European teams reached the quarter-finals and three the semi-finals. If European football stands united against these plans, that carries a great deal of weight."

"It doesn't seem like a reform. It seems like an electoral campaign financed with the future of football.
"Development cannot be used to buy votes or silences. The competitions and commercial rights of FIFA are not the personal patrimony of Infantino.

"Infantino is not the solution to FIFA's governance. He is the problem. We are venturing deeper into the iceberg and what remains to surface."

"Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved."

"It raises a lot of question marks for the federations, who have not been involved in the talks and do not have to hand the specific details to be able to comment on these topics which are fundamental to the future of football."

"The close relationship between the FIFA president and the US President (Donald Trump) has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No one has the right to sell our game."

-- Sepp Blatter, Infantino's disgraced predecessor, referring to the claim that one of the potential investors could be Thrive capital, an investment company founded and led by Joshua Kushner, brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared.

Political
"Particular concern arises when FIFA's regulatory powers become aligned with the financial interests of private entities. When the value of investments depends on decisions made by FIFA. That raises profound questions about governance, independence and conflicts of interest."

"Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine."

-- UK Prime Minister and Everton supporter Andy Burnham, who worked tirelessly for justice for the families of the Liverpool fans killed in the Hillsborough tragedy.

"Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren't enough, now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a multibillion-dollar deal with Jared Kushner's brother to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors."    �"AFP