‘FIFA is guardian of World Cup, not its owner’: Blatter blasts football body

3 min readJul 30, 2026 07:12 PM IST Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter blasted FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in a $20 billion commercial subsidiary. (File/Reuters)Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter blasted the football body’s proposal to sell stakes in a $20 billion commercial subsidiary, saying the World Cup should not become an investment product for private equity with investors seeking returns. “The FIFA World Cup is not a commercial asset that belongs to a handful of executives. It is part of the ‌cultural heritage of world football. FIFA is the guardian of the World Cup, not its owner,” Blatter told Reuters.FIFA’s plan has also drawn strong criticism from football’s regional confederations, which said they were blindsided by the world governing body’s plan to bring private investors