Max Eberl Condemns FIFA Plans to Sell World Cup Stakes

Max Eberl Launches Scathing Attack on FIFA Profit Motives

Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl delivered a furious critique of global football leadership, reacting to leaked plans by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to sell significant portions of the World Cup to private financial backers. During a press event on July 29, 2026, the long-serving football executive made no secret of his disgust regarding the commercial direction of the international governing body.

I find it shameful. I am ashamed that we are talking about such thoughts in football. Football doesn’t belong to us. It’s a game. FIFA is there to accompany the game, to put it into shapes and rules and to host World Cups. Right now I have the feeling FIFA is only there to make a profit. Max Eberl, Sportvorstand FC Bayern, via BR24Sport

Eberl added that as someone who has dedicated decades to the sport, it disgusts me to watch the governing body prioritize revenue streams over the integrity of the game itself, according to regional broadcasting coverage.

FIFA Forward Enterprise and the Billion-Dollar Investor Proposal

The controversy erupted after details surfaced regarding a newly planned subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise. Under the proposed structure, the world governing body intends to offload between 20 and 30 percent of equity in an entity designed to control the World Cup tournament structure, as reported by Goal.com.

To sweeten the pill for national associations, the organization projected a dramatic increase in financial distributions. Funding for the 211 member associations would ostensibly climb from the current eight million US dollars per four-year cycle to 20 million, reaching as high as 24 million US dollars by 2035. Yet this financial carrot arrived alongside aggressive ultimatums designed to force quick compliance across the sport.

Internal correspondence reviewed by news outlets revealed that Infantino gave member associations a strict 53-day window to approve the scheme in exchange for a one-time payment of 40 million US dollars. Associations that reject the proposal face a steep drop in funding, with payouts plummeting to just ten million US dollars.

UEFA Considers Crisis Action as European Resistance Solidifies

The coercive timeline prompted immediate backlash from European football leadership. The Union of European Football Associations scheduled an emergency crisis meeting to evaluate a potential boycott of FIFA competitions, a measure that could ultimately block European participation in marquee tournaments such as the 2030 World Cup.

Eberl voiced full support for a strong continental pushback against the governing body, emphasizing that European federations must draw a hard line. While noting he typically prefers dialogue over boycotts, he insisted that if it comes to that, then I am actually in favor of us as Europe putting up a strong front and saying: No, we’re not taking part as detailed by Sport1.

That hardline stance found echoes among other high-ranking German football figures. German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf labeled the privatization push a fatal signal and noted that the entire project would instantly collapse if European governing bodies refuse to participate. Borussia Dortmund advisor Matthias Sammer warned at the International Trainers’ Congress in Mainz that opening the tournament to outside capital tugs at the foundations of football, while German Football Association vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke told Kicker that the initiative constitutes an absolute attack on football which crosses a definitive line.

UEFA Rejects Coercive Deadlines and Financial Pressure

In response to the 53-day ultimatum, UEFA released a scathing statement explicitly rejecting the financial coercion tactics deployed by Zurich headquarters. The European body made it clear that the pressure campaign reveals the true nature of the privatization initiative.

We learned today that FIFA has given member associations a deadline within which they must support their plans, otherwise the offer of a one-off payment will be withdrawn. That says everything you need to know about this plan. UEFA, official statement via Goal.com

Additional criticism came from across the German domestic league structure, with Darmstadt 98 coach Florian Kohfeldt describing the project as a total disaster and admitting I find it sickening, while VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness remarked that he could not find a single positive aspect in the proposal. With European associations aligning for emergency talks, the standoff between traditional football governance and private equity ambitions enters a decisive phase.