Offside move? Why Indonesia’s football chief backed Fifa privatisation plan
When Fifa president Gianni Infantino pushed a plan to bring private investors into a new commercial entity tied to the World Cup, critics warned it risked selling part of football’s most valuable asset. Erick Thohir, chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), disagreed. He backed the now-scrapped scheme – despite opposition from regional bodies including the Asian Football…
Indonesia's football chief, Erick Thohir, surprised many by endorsing the now-abandoned proposal to privatize FIFA. Despite opposition from regional bodies like the Asian Football Confederation, Thohir felt Indonesia owed FIFA a debt of gratitude for its support during the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster in October 2022, which claimed 135 lives.
The disaster led FIFA to partner with Indonesia to improve stadium safety and overhaul its football governance, and Indonesia later avoided sanctions for refusing to host Israel’s team. Thohir pointed to FIFA's establishment of a hub in Jakarta and its spending on local events as evidence of its commitment to Indonesia's football growth.
However, analysts argue that gratitude was a weak reason to support a plan that many football observers viewed as a threat to the game. The proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) aimed to raise $20 billion from private investors to fund World Cup events, with national associations set to receive $20 million in development funds per cycle. Despite the opposition, FIFA announced that the proposal would not proceed.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
