Arsene Wenger has broken his silence on the Fifa investment scandal, insisting the decision to withdraw the controversial private funding proposal was entirely correct.
Wenger, who serves as Fifa’s chief of global football development, said scrapping the plan was “absolutely necessary and beyond question” in a formal statement.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino had proposed creating a commercial subsidiary to run major events, including World Cups, with external investors able to buy stakes.
To secure backing from member associations, Infantino offered each of Fifa’s 211 members $40m (£30m) if they supported the proposal.
The plan quickly drew fierce opposition, with Uefa’s 55 member nations threatening to boycott all Fifa tournaments unless the idea was dropped.
Facing mounting pressure from across the football world, Infantino was ultimately forced to withdraw the proposal entirely.
Wenger, who has held his role encompassing data analysis, online training, and youth competitions since 2019, said he was not involved in devising the plan at all.
“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports,” Wenger’s statement read.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity,” he added.
The former Arsenal manager is among 18 Fifa officials named in a document preservation letter sent by Uefa to Fifa, which accompanied threats of legal action.
Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, is the only Fifa official to have resigned over the scandal so far.
Cordeiro described the proposal as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future” in his departure statement.
Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom also voiced his dismay, writing in an internal memo to staff that the last week had been “difficult to comprehend and accept.”
Grafstrom, widely regarded as a close Infantino ally, was elevated to the role of secretary general in 2024 having previously served as Fifa’s chief of staff since 2016.
“A sad and reproachable series of events – which were thankfully concluded with the project permanently abandoned – for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality,” Grafstrom wrote.
He urged Fifa staff to remain focused on their core mission, writing: “I urge you to remain focused on what has always united us: serving football and serving our 211 member associations.”
Grafstrom also sought to reassure worried employees, writing: “I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience.”
The scandal has caused significant turbulence within Fifa, though Grafstrom insisted the institution’s responsibilities to world football would endure beyond the current difficulties.
