There was a furious backlash on Wednesday to FIFA’s controversial plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a private subsidiary. There was a furious backlash on Wednesday to FIFA’s controversial plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a private subsidiary. “Many in European football see FIFA’s plans as an outright attack on football. It was the first World Cup with 48 teams, and there is talk of further expanding it to 64. The Times speculated that the creation of FFE could have an impact on the World Cup and the Club World Cup.