Gianni Infantino scraps controversial plan to sell World Cup profits

FIFA president Gianni Infantino abandoned his controversial plan to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to private equity investors after fierce opposition from football's governing bodies.

The swift collapse of the privatized model leaves the world governing body's leadership severely vulnerable. While Infantino retains his post for the moment, the episode has fractured his political invulnerability, energized opposition across continental power bases, and opened a volatile window for disgruntled member associations to mobilize ahead of critical electoral deadlines, as reported by Mykhel.

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At the center of the dispute was the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA's commercial rights - including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing - with the operational delivery of its tournaments. According to Mykhel, FIFA sought a $20 billion valuation for the subsidiary while attempting to raise $4.2 billion in external minority investments led by Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, with JP Morgan acting as financial adviser. To entice member federations, Infantino dangled substantial monetary incentives, promising that every one of FIFA’s 211 associations would receive up to $20 million in FIFA Forward funding between 2027 and 2030, with access to an additional $20 million via a proposed Fast Forward Programme, alongside a September 19 deadline to endorse the scheme, as detailed by Sky Sports and Metro.

Proponents argued the influx of capital would supercharge global football development, projecting that funding would eventually climb to $24 million per association by the 2035–39 cycle, according to Mykhel. Yet leaked documentation, including a 25-page JP Morgan presentation detailed by Mykhel, exposed plans to aggressively expand global tournaments from roughly 200 annually to approximately 450, leverage debt financing, drive up ticket prices, and dramatically ramp up media monetization while omitting any reference to the women's game. Critics, including UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme via the Mirror, condemned the blueprint as an existential threat that risked mortgaging the sport's future to satisfy shareholder return expectations.

Opposition coalesced with startling speed across multiple continents. UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) forged a powerful bloc representing 143 of FIFA's 211 member votes, effectively denying Infantino the majority required to pass the initiative, as outlined by Metro and Mykhel. Political figures amplified the pressure: UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham posted on the social media platform X that football belongs to the fans and demanded an urgent governance review, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy declared Enough is enough and the English FA voiced deep concern, according to Sky Sports.

Internal dissent proved equally devastating to Infantino's standing. Carlos Cordeiro, a senior presidential advisor, former U.S. Soccer Federation president, and veteran Goldman Sachs investment banker, resigned in principled protest, calling the subsidiary a bad deal for football that amounted to mortgaging the game's future without justification, as reported by Sky Sports and the Mirror. Concurrently, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour delivered a blistering rebuke to the Associated Press, stating that administration staff were deceived by Infantino's lack of transparency and deserve better than contempt and intimidation under what he branded as a one-person project, according to Sky Sports and The Telegraph.

Geopolitical and regulatory scrutiny compounded the president's vulnerability. US President Donald Trump distanced himself from the controversy during a televised Cabinet meeting at Camp David, denying that he had spoken with Infantino about the Kushner-linked selloff, as noted by the Mirror. The close relationship between Infantino and Trump — which included gifts of tournament replica trophies in the Oval Office, the creation of an inaugural FIFA Peace Prize awarded to Trump, and the opening of a FIFA office inside Trump Tower — has drawn intense scrutiny, according to the Mirror and The Telegraph. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, launched a sweeping congressional investigation into the ties, denouncing FIFA's maneuver as a smash-and-grab scam of colossal proportions and holding direct phone consultations with senior FIFA and UEFA officials, including COO Kevin Lamour, according to The Telegraph.

A statement from Infantino in the early hours of Saturday read: "The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed." AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa welcomed the climbdown while stressing that future global football initiatives must be shaped through proper consultation and respect for established governance structures, according to Sky Sports and the Mirror.

Attention now shifts to whether disgruntled member associations will translate their anger into an organized political challenge ahead of the upcoming electoral cycle. The Telegraph revealed that UEFA possesses secret historical blueprints, originally drafted by Infantino himself during his tenure as UEFA secretary general during the Sepp Blatter corruption crisis, detailing mechanisms for European bodies to permanently exit FIFA and form a splinter organization. Dissident federations are weighing potential alternative candidates such as CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, while evaluating whether to convene an emergency FIFA Congress under Article 25(4) of FIFA's statutes to launch a vote of no confidence, as reported by Sky Sports and The Telegraph.

The immediate political showdown hinges on the fast-approaching absolute deadline of November 18, when potential rival candidates must formally declare their intention to stand for the FIFA presidency against Infantino, according to Sky Sports and The Telegraph.