Offside move? Why Indonesia’s football chief backed Fifa privatisation plan

When Fifa president Gianni Infantino pushed a plan to bring private investors into a new commercial entity tied to the World Cup, critics warned it risked selling part of football’s most valuable asset.Erick Thohir, chairman of the Indonesia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="177975" data-entity-type="organization">Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), disagreed. He backed the now-scrapped scheme – despite opposition from regional bodies including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), PSSI’s own parent body – as he felt Indonesia owed Fifa a debt of gratitude for standing by its football after years of crisis.Analysts said that explanation told only part of the story. Thohir’s support was also aimed at preserving Infantino’s favour at a time when Indonesia was relying on Fifa’s political and financial backing to rebuild after a deadly stadium disaster, restore its international standing and pursue a bigger place in world football, they said.