Houssine Kharja, a former Morocco international and current North Africa director, has weighed in on the deepening dispute between FIFA and UEFA, urging both governing bodies to settle their differences through private dialogue rather than public confrontation.

The row centres on FIFA's proposal to establish a commercial subsidiary — FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — designed to manage major events such as the World Cup with minority private investment. UEFA and 55 of its member nations have pushed back forcefully, threatening to boycott FIFA competitions and demanding that key legal documents be preserved.

While confederations including CAF have sided with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, European resistance has held firm over concerns about governance and financial control.

Kharja's take: Europe fears losing its grip

Speaking to SOCCER212, Kharja expressed frustration that the disagreement had spilled into the public domain. "The president made a proposal for every federation," he said. "He presented his vision and each federation had the right to accept it or reject it."

Kharja argued that European bodies are reacting out of fear rather than principle. "Europe feels threatened by this," he said. "They can see football making huge progress in other continents. The real ambition of FIFA and its president is to ensure that football is played and developed in every corner of the world."

He pointed to the expanded World Cup format as evidence that the global game is shifting. "The smaller nations were able to upset the bigger nations. Countries who once thought that competing was a distant dream were able to see that dream become a reality, thanks to the expanded tournament that FIFA introduced."

A charge of hypocrisy

Kharja also turned the spotlight on European club football's financial structures, questioning why similar private investment there draws no scrutiny. "Do you know how many private stakeholders fund the European club leagues alone? Nobody asks where that money comes from and it causes no outrage. It is hypocrisy, pure and simple. They want to prevent FIFA from doing the same thing they do themselves."

He went further, accusing European authorities of seeking to preserve a long-standing dominance. "The European authorities, accustomed to ruling over world football as if they were its masters, want to maintain their own monopoly," he said.

A personal appeal for dialogue

Kharja also directed sharp criticism at Luis Figo, who has been vocal in opposing Infantino's plans. "After everything Infantino has done for the legends of football, I personally find Luis Figo's involvement absolutely despicable," he said. "Let's not forget the lengths he went to to move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. How dare he talk about money, egotism, and dignity?"

Despite the heated rhetoric, Kharja closed with a call for reconciliation. "My wish is for president Ceferin, whom I also respect, to sit down with president Infantino, and for them to settle their differences together," he said. "The option of boycotting is clearly not the correct solution. They are two great leaders who need to find a middle ground for the good of football. Football belongs to the whole world."