German FA Vice-President Slams FIFA's Plan to Sell Stakes in Competitions

The vice-president of the German Football Association (DFB) criticized FIFA’s plan to sell parts of its competitions, including the World Cup. He called the move "an outright attack on football".

FIFA announced on Tuesday that it wants to set up a semi-private branch. This branch would sell parts of its business in the World Cup and other tournaments. They hope to raise $4.2 billion from this.

This plan still needs the approval of the 38-member FIFA council and most of its 211 member associations. FIFA said it will present the plan to the council soon.

Hans-Joachim Watzke is the DFB vice-president. He is also the president of Borussia Dortmund, a Bundesliga team, and a vice-president in UEFA’s executive committee. He joined others in criticizing the proposal.

"Many in European football see FIFA’s plans as an outright attack on football. I share this view. A line has been crossed here," Watzke told Kicker, a German sports magazine.

Watzke, 67, pointed out how well European teams performed in the World Cup. He suggested that European federations could come together to oppose the deal.

"At the World Cup, six European teams reached the quarter-finals and three made it to the semi-finals.

If European football stands united against these plans, that carries a great deal of weight."

UEFA, the governing body for European football, has been critical of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. They described the plan as a sale of the game’s "soul".

CONCACAF, the group that oversees football in North and Central America, expressed its concerns about the lack of proper process in making this decision.

Earlier in July, the DFB told AFP’s subsidiary SID that it would not sign a letter supporting Infantino’s re-election. This was despite reports that the Swiss football chief had the backing of over 200 member associations.