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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has rejected FIFA’s proposal to sell a stake in the business operations of the FIFA World Cup, insisting that football should remain “for the people” and not private investors.
Speaking on Friday in Sydney, where Chelsea are on a pre-season tour, the former Spain international backed UEFA’s strong opposition to the proposal, which would create a commercial subsidiary to manage FIFA’s major tournaments and allow private investors to buy stakes in the business.
“I think that football has to be for the people, not in private hands. And I think that’s the way we love it. We have seen a great World Cup, and some things should stay the same way. So it’s good to defend the interests of other people,” Alonso said.
UEFA has warned it could boycott the World Cup if the proposal goes ahead, arguing that football “cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return.”
Despite the opposition, FIFA said on Friday it would continue with an “open and democratic” consultation process with stakeholders, maintaining that the plan could generate up to $4.2 billion.
Alonso, who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain, said he hopes the proposal does not succeed.
“Hopefully, we’ll keep the game as attractive and as authentic as we like it because it creates these emotions and passions we’ve seen in the World Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League,” he said.
FIFA’s proposal will require approval from its 38-member FIFA Council and a majority of its 211 member associations before it can be implemented.
Alonso is currently leading Chelsea on their pre-season tour in Australia after overseeing a 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in his first game in charge. The Blues face Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney on Saturday.
