FIFA President Gianni Infantino is abandoning his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world. Infantino's decision came after his senior adviser who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asia's soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it, per the AP. "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 in a statement on Friday. "Our purpose has always been—and will always be—to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."
Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors, including the Kushner family, but the plan drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday's announcement. The 55 member nations of European soccer body UEFA agreed to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions over Infantino's plan on Thursday. North America's Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan. "Some things are simply too important to sell," UEFA said in a statement. "The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale."
Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House's World Cup Task Force, resigned on Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out. Hours later, FIFA COO Kevin Lamour issued a statement saying that FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino's lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months. "It is the project of one person," Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and UEFA, wrote.
Infantino had proposed spinning off FIFA's commercial businesses into a $20 billion subsidiary, with 20% owned by private investors. The "anchor investor," as described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The misstep could prove costly for Infantino. Reelected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, Infantino is allowed one more four-year term under FIFA statutes. The deadline for the next presidential contest is Nov. 18, exactly four months ahead of the vote in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA has its African headquarters.
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