In light of the events affecting the football family, the CONMEBOL Council, meeting today, welcomes FIFA's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature.
Within a matter of days, football has gone from being at the center of global attention due to the staging of an extraordinary sporting event to becoming the focus of public debate on matters related to its governance.
More than ten years ago, FIFA undertook a comprehensive reform of its Statutes with the aim of strengthening institutional governance, transparency and good governance, establishing clear procedures and specific mechanisms to resolve disputes that may arise within the football family, while guaranteeing due process and respect for the rules governing our organization.
That institutional framework constitutes a safeguard for everyone. Therefore, those entrusted with leading our organizations must always give priority to dialogue, respect for the rules and constructive engagement. When these principles are set aside, football loses—and so do we all.
FOOTBALL BELONGS TO EVERYONE.
Its future can only be built on the basis of respect for institutional governance, sound governance and the democratic procedures that represent FIFA's 211 Member Associations.
On 18 November 2026, the deadline for submitting candidacies for the FIFA Presidency will expire. Thereafter, the FIFA Congress will elect, through the votes of its 211 Member Associations, the person who will lead the organization during the next term, including overseeing the organization of the FIFA Centennial World Cup 2030.
Accordingly, CONMEBOL will not support any action or procedure that disregards or departs from those institutional mechanisms.
The CONMEBOL Council calls for preserving the unity of the football family, acting with institutional responsibility, strengthening dialogue and fully respecting the mechanisms of governance.
Because, above all differences,
FOOTBALL COMES FIRST.