Indonesian FA president vows to back World Cup sell-off despite growing backlash

The president of the Indonesian football association has vowed to vote in support of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to sell a multibillion dollar stake in the World Cup's commercial rights, even as global opposition to the proposals gathers momentum.

Sky News has spoken to Erick Thohir, owner of the English League One club Oxford United, who said the money raised from the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) - a commercial vehicle valued at $20bn - could play a critical role in raising the standard of football in the southeast Asian country.

"Indonesian football has been transformed in the last three years - it has been cleaned up," Mr Thohir said.

"The national team's ranking has gone from 174 to 118 - to continue this transformation it needs funding."

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Mr Thohir signed a deal with Mr Infantino last year to establish a FIFA "hub" in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, which they described as "a historic day... for the future of football in Southeast Asia and East Asia".

Analysis suggests that the expansion of the Men's World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, an idea which has been promoted by the FIFA president, would see Indonesia qualify for the tournament based on current world rankings.

Addressing the question of whether FIFA was handing the crown jewels of the world's most popular sport to a handful of powerful private investors, Mr Thohir suggested that many national associations which are FIFA members had already undertaken similar commercial processes in their domestic leagues and other competitions.

And he insisted: "If FIFA members approve it, it will show there is a demand for this deal to happen."

Public support for Mr Infantino has been virtually non-existent since the project was exposed earlier this week - with the Czech Republic's FA president, David Trunda, among the few people willing to back the FIFA president.

Mr Trunda's comments to Sky News, however, triggered further criticism from within the domestic game in the eastern European country.

The campaign to block the FIFA sell-off - which would hand its 211 national member associations a $40m windfall if they approve it by the middle of September - has drawn a particularly fierce backlash from UEFA, with the English FA also expressing "deep concern" about the plan.

Mr Infantino has faced intense criticism for drawing up the proposed sell-off in secrecy, even as an investment fund run by the brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law was being lined up as the lead investor in a $4.2bn capital injection.

Member associations have expressed frustration at the possible implications of FFE's creation, with pressure to stage larger and more frequent global tournaments potentially impacting player welfare and scores of domestic football calendars around the world.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), of which the Indonesian FA is a member, issued a statement on Wednesday criticising the timeline set by Mr Infantino to approve the commercial rights sale.

"The AFC firmly believes that sufficient time must be afforded for a comprehensive assessment, including appropriate legal and governance due diligence, meaningful consultation and careful consideration of the long-term implications of such an initiative," it said.

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In an attempt to defend himself against the escalating backlash, Mr Infantino published a video message insisting it was a consultation process and that football itself would "not change" as a result of any transaction.

In a sign of the rising stakes for the FIFA president, whose third term expires next year but who is expected to be re-elected next March, the EU has vowed to probe the commercial rights sale.

(c) Sky News 2026: Indonesian FA president vows to back World Cup sell-off despite growing backlash