Infantino scraps $20bn World Cup stake sale after UEFA boycott threat and internal revolt

FIFA president Gianni Infantino scrapped a plan to sell roughly 20 percent of a new commercial subsidiary managing World Cup rights, bowing to a global revolt that saw continental federations threaten a tournament boycott and two of his own senior officials resign within 24 hours.

The proposal

The entity, to be called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would have bundled the commercial rights and operations of the men's World Cup, women's World Cup, and Club World Cup. FIFA intended to sell a minority stake to outside investors, valuing the subsidiary at approximately $20 billion and raising around $4.2 billion for the governing body. Among the prospective investors was Thrive Eternal, a firm controlled by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US president Donald Trump. FIFA had been working with J.P. Morgan on the deal.

Infantino had offered all 211 member associations $40 million each if they approved the private-investment framework, according to de Volkskrant.

The backlash

The proposal, which emerged with little warning earlier in the week, drew immediate and coordinated opposition. On Thursday, UEFA's 55 national associations voted to boycott FIFA competitions if the plan proceeded, saying the "soul and governance" of football were at stake. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC, 47 members) and the North American CONCACAF (41 members) aligned with UEFA, giving opponents a clear majority within the 211-member FIFA congress.

The future of global football must always be shaped by sound consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the existing governance structures within our sport.

Internal revolt

Pressure intensified on Friday when Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's top adviser and a former U.S. Soccer president, announced his immediate resignation. Cordeiro, 70, said he could not "stand idly by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup." He called the proposal a bad deal for member associations, for football, and for the long-term future of the sport, noting that FIFA already holds billions of dollars in reserves and carries no debt.

Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour publicly denounced the initiative as "one person's project" and said the FIFA board itself had been misled. Lamour stated that football leaders must now ask themselves the right questions and take the right decisions, adding that he would accept losing his job over the matter.

If that means I lose my job, so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I will sleep well tonight.

The retreat

In a statement to Sky News early on 1 August, Infantino confirmed the plan was dead. He said careful listening had made clear the project had created division that, regardless of the level of support, no longer served its original purpose. Infantino, 56, who is standing for a fourth term as FIFA president in March, said he would spend the coming days and weeks bringing all parties back together around a shared interest in growing football globally, especially in countries that need support most.

Our goal has always been, and will always remain, to bring people together and bring about improvements. Therefore this proposal will not be pursued.

Reactions

The AFC was the first confederation to publicly welcome the withdrawal. President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa praised the unity of his members and said they had entrusted the AFC to seek answers on their behalf in a matter of immense importance to global football governance. Football Australia chair Anter Isaac stressed that principles of integrity, independence, good governance, transparency, consultation, and fair process must not change. The Dutch FA (KNVB) said it would respond later, though its president Frank Paauw had earlier said European nations "stood up for the soul of football" and that Infantino's position would need to be reviewed in due course.