Burnham says World Cup ‘not a product’ following Fifa’s private investment plans

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the World Cup “was never anyone’s to sell”, after Fifa confirmed plans to set up a private company to run its competitions.Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) would be responsible for bringing together the sale of the football governing body’s commercial rights with the operational delivery of its tournaments.Fifa said Thrive Eternal, a company set up in April this year which has links to the extended family of US president Donald Trump, would lead the proposed investor group for FFE.The move has drawn significant criticism from fans in addition to Uefa, which warned against the plan, arguing it “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”.Mr Burnham joined criticism of the proposal, writing on X the “World Cup is not a product”.