Arsene Wenger has found himself dragged into FIFA’s latest crisis, but blaming the former Arsenal manager for Gianni Infantino’s failed World Cup investment plan feels increasingly difficult to justify.
FIFA had proposed creating a commercial subsidiary valued at around $20billion, with outside investors potentially able to purchase a minority stake in the organisation responsible for major competitions.
The plan triggered fierce opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation before Infantino eventually abandoned it.
Wenger has now publicly distanced himself from the proposal, explaining that he first became aware of it through media reports rather than internal FIFA discussions.
Arsene Wenger was not responsible for FIFA commercial plan
Wenger works as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development.
His remit focuses primarily on football itself: coaching, academies, youth development, technical analysis and advising on potential changes to the laws of the game.
It does not involve finding private investors or structuring multibillion-dollar commercial transactions.
Reuters reported this week that Wenger said he had not been involved in the strategic plan and supported the decision to withdraw it. FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom also distanced himself from the process, while senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned amid the fallout.
That points towards a much bigger governance problem.
If figures holding some of FIFA’s most senior positions were unaware of a proposal capable of fundamentally changing how World Cup revenues were managed, the obvious question should be why so few people were consulted.
Wenger should not automatically escape scrutiny simply because of what he achieved at Arsenal.
However, there is a difference between asking whether a senior FIFA employee should have spoken sooner and suggesting he somehow carries responsibility for the proposal itself.
Arsenal fans can question Wenger without rewriting his role
Some supporters understandably expect more from Wenger.
His reputation was built not only on trophies but on the principles he repeatedly spoke about during more than two decades in north London. That makes his association with an organisation facing serious governance questions uncomfortable for some Arsenal fans.
Wenger has also supported controversial football ideas during his time at FIFA, including changes to the offside law and proposals surrounding the international calendar.
Criticism of those positions is entirely legitimate.
But this controversy is different because there is currently no evidence that Wenger helped design or approve Infantino’s commercial proposal.
ReadArsenal recently looked back at Wenger’s continuing attachment to the club when he discussed what Arsenal still needed to achieve. His standing among supporters does not mean every decision he makes should be protected from criticism, but neither should that legacy make him an easy target whenever FIFA becomes engulfed in controversy.
The development work Wenger has championed throughout his career also remains closely associated with his Arsenal legacy. ReadArsenal reported on Tuesday that 16-year-old Max Dowman is expected to receive an increased first-team role, another reminder of how strongly youth development remains embedded within the club’s identity.
Infantino should face the bigger questions
Wenger’s statement does not answer everything.
It is reasonable to ask why he waited until after the proposal had been abandoned before publicly clarifying his position. Supporters are also entitled to believe someone with his stature could exert greater pressure from inside FIFA.
However, those questions should not obscure where responsibility belongs.
Reuters reports that the failed proposal has produced significant internal opposition to Infantino, with senior officials and national federations increasingly questioning his leadership.
UEFA has gone even further, declaring that it has lost confidence in the FIFA president following the handling of the investment plan.
That is the real story.
Wenger can be challenged over why he continues working within FIFA and whether he should have taken a stronger public stance.
What he should not be expected to do is carry responsibility for a commercial project he did not create, negotiate or apparently even know existed.
Arsenal supporters do not have to agree with everything Wenger does after leaving the club.
But criticism should still be aimed at the people who actually made the decision.
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