FIFA’s chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, has said the decision to abandon plans to bring private investment into the governing body’s competitions was the only acceptable outcome after the proposal sparked widespread opposition. However, the plan collapsed after days of intense criticism, with UEFA’s 55 member associations warning they would boycott all FIFA competitions if it went ahead. Wenger, who has led FIFA’s global football development department since 2019, said he had no involvement in the plan and only learned about it through media reports. “The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side,” Wenger said in a statement released by FIFA. His current role at FIFA includes overseeing football development, data analysis, online education programmes and youth competitions.