Sports Minister Francisco Riveros described his summit with representatives of FIFA, the National Professional Football Association (ANFP) and the Football Federation of Chile (FFCh) as cordial, according to BioBioChile. "It was a meeting for discussion and information, and we held it on very good terms," he told Radio Bío Bío.
The minister spoke to the press during a visit to the Chilean Olympic Committee, where Chile's flag bearers for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal were confirmed.
According to Riveros, the meeting was a courtesy meeting arranged under the Lobbying Law at the Federation's request. It allowed the government to learn about FIFA's plans and projects and world football's governing body to learn how implementation of the new law is progressing.
"We have a clear mandate under the law, which involves, on the one hand, issuing the various instruments that will complement the law, and also the process of separating the ANFP from the federation," the minister explained.
Asked about possible FIFA concerns over potential state intervention, Riveros said the organization raised nothing to that effect because all the points had already been clarified. Asked whether everything was fine with FIFA, he replied with a terse "exactly."
On the election timelines for the ANFP and the Federation, the minister kept his distance. "They are private entities, they are governed by their own rules, they have to agree on the timelines," he said.
The issue is significant. In recent weeks, reports emerged of tension between FIFA and ANFP officials over the terms of the separation, something professional football president Pablo Milad denied, pointing to a federation election in February.
Riveros highlighted the ban on multi-club ownership, greater transparency about clubs' ultimate controlling owners and the separation of the Federation and the League as pillars of the law. In his view, the legislation represents a major step forward for Chilean football.
The deadline set by the state is clear: by December 6, 2027, the Federation and the ANFP must be effectively separated. According to the minister, that work is "very much on track."
