STEINSIEK.CH — Alex Labidou | Aug 01, 2026, 08:28 +08:00
“This proposal will not proceed” — Gianni Infantino scraps controversial World Cup sell-off plan after UEFA boycott threat as internal FIFA revolt leaves future in doubt
World Cup · FIFA Club World Cup · World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has abandoned his controversial proposal to sell a stake in the commercial operations of the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, following a fierce global backlash, a threatened UEFA boycott, and open revolt from senior officials within the governing body. His own future is now reportedly in serious doubt.
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What happened? Infantino backed down late Friday, just three days after FIFA unveiled plans to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise. The proposed $20 billion subsidiary would have brought FIFA’s commercial and event-delivery operations — including those tied to the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups — under one company. FIFA would have retained control, while approximately 20% was set to be offered to private investors in an effort to raise up to $4.2 billion. ESPN reported that a New York investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, had been identified by FIFA as the project’s “anchor investor.” The proposal will now go no further.
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What FIFA said FIFA initially insisted that the project would only proceed following consultation and with the backing of a majority of its 211 member associations. Infantino acknowledged Friday, however, that the increasingly bitter division surrounding the plan made its continuation impossible.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, 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. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
Infantino added that he intends to bring the opposing parties together in the coming weeks, with a focus on continuing to grow the sport in countries that require the most support.
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Revolt from within FIFA The opposition became overwhelming remarkably quickly. UEFA and its 55 member associations agreed to boycott FIFA competitions for as long as the proposal remained active, declaring that “some things are simply too important to sell.” Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation subsequently rejected the project, leaving Infantino without the majority support required to advance it. The Times reported that 137 of FIFA’s 211 member associations opposed the proposal.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also joined the criticism, writing that FIFA “is not a private equity fund” and has a responsibility to protect the global game. Blatter had previously argued that FIFA is the guardian of the World Cup, rather than its owner. “Money matters, but it must never become everything,” he wrote.
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What comes next? The proposal may be dead, but the fallout surrounding Infantino is only beginning. The Times reported that his position is now in serious doubt, while Sky Sports described him as facing a “real prospect” of losing his job. Sky added that FIFA insiders view the plan as a “catastrophic error of judgment” from which he may not recover.
An emergency FIFA Congress and vote of no confidence could reportedly be initiated with support from 20% of its member associations. No such process has yet been launched, and Infantino has given no indication that he intends to resign. For now, he remains FIFA president. After perhaps the most damaging week of his decade in charge, whether that remains the case has suddenly become a very real question.