Infantino abandons FIFA World Cup privatisation plans after massive backlash

FIFA has withdrawn its controversial plan to sell a stake in a commercial entity that would oversee the World Cup and other major tournaments after fierce opposition from UEFA and member associations, dealing a major blow to president Gianni Infantino.

In Short

• FIFA withdraws controversial World Cup privatisation proposal
• UEFA opposition forces governing body to abandon investment plan
• Gianni Infantino faces fresh criticism after proposal collapses

FIFA has abandoned its controversial proposal to sell a stake of the FIFA World Cup after facing strong opposition from member associations, particularly the European federation - UEFA.

The governing body had planned to raise up to 4.2 billion US dollars by selling around a 20 per cent stake in a new commercial unit that would manage FIFA's major tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups. The proposal valued the business at around 20 billion US dollars.

However, the plan triggered widespread criticism, with UEFA accusing FIFA of putting the sport's "soul" up for sale. European football's governing body even threatened to boycott the proposal, arguing that football's biggest competitions should not be controlled by outside investors.

In a statement on Friday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed the governing body would not move forward with the project.

"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions that are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," Infantino said. "Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve."

The decision came on a turbulent day for FIFA. Earlier on Friday, Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned with immediate effect, calling the investment proposal "a bad deal for football."

FIFA also faced criticism from within its own ranks, with chief operating officer Kevin Lamour reportedly saying staff had been "deceived" by Infantino and describing the proposal as "a project of one person."

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also weighed in, telling reporters that Infantino was "the wrong man to lead the organisation."

The withdrawal of the proposal marks a significant setback for FIFA after just days of intense opposition from across the football world.

THE DONALD TRUMP ANGLE

The investor group, which was supposed to be led by Thrive Eternal, a fund run by Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner, was central to FIFA's proposed external investment plan. Joshua is the brother of Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law. Trump and Infantino are also reported to have a close working relation.

Resistance to the proposal gathered pace through the week, with football's major continental bodies lining up against FIFA's plans. UEFA's 55 member associations unanimously voted on Thursday to boycott all FIFA tournaments until the proposal was scrapped, insisting that the World Cup "cannot be treated as an investment product."

The opposition quickly spread beyond Europe. CONCACAF, which represents 41 nations across North America, Central America and the Caribbean, rejected the plan on Thursday, while the Asian Football Confederation threw its weight behind UEFA and CONCACAF a day later. Together, the three confederations account for 143 of FIFA's 211 member associations, comfortably more than the majority required to block the proposal.

The backlash was not limited to FIFA's member associations. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned on Friday with immediate effect, describing the proposal as "a bad deal for football", while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour accused president Gianni Infantino of misleading staff, calling it "a project of one person".

The controversy comes at a delicate time for Infantino, who is expected to seek re-election next year amid reports that CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is considering challenging him.

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