FIFA President Infantino Withdraws Controversial Plan to Privatize World Cup Assets Amid Global Backlash
Within less than 72 hours, FIFA President Gianni Infantino's ambitious plan to partially privatize the World Cup's commercial assets turned into a severe political crisis and a personal failure. Infantino, who began the week celebrating record revenues of approximately $15 billion from the recent World Cup, faced intense opposition from within FIFA, international football bodies, and political figures. On Friday, he was forced to announce the withdrawal of the proposal, effectively ending the project and turning his presidency into a survival battle.
The plan involved creating a commercial subsidiary to hold FIFA's most profitable assets, including broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, and flagship events like the World Cup and Club World Cup. FIFA intended to sell up to 21% of this entity to private investors, raising about $4.2 billion and valuing the commercial arm at around $20 billion. The investment group was led by Thrive Eternal, owned by American businessman Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, former advisor to Donald Trump.
Infantino framed the initiative as a way to strengthen global football and distribute wealth more equitably. However, critics saw it as a political maneuver to buy support through financial incentives to FIFA's 211 member associations, promising increased grants and shares in the new company. Despite these efforts, major football powers united against the plan. UEFA led a coalition of 55 associations threatening to boycott FIFA events, including the 2027 Women's World Cup and 2030 Men's World Cup, unless guarantees were made that no ownership stakes would be sold to private investors.
Opposition also came from CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, creating a bloc of 137 associations opposing the deal, far exceeding the majority needed to block it. Within FIFA, key allies resigned, including Carlos Cordeiro, former US Soccer president, who publicly condemned the deal. FIFA's COO Kevin Lamour revealed that the plan was largely Infantino's personal project, with limited internal consultation.
Following the collapse of support and internal dissent, Infantino announced the plan's cancellation, acknowledging that the controversy no longer served its intended purpose. The failure marks a significant political setback ahead of the FIFA presidential elections in March 2027, where Infantino had been expected to run unopposed. Now, rival candidates are being considered by UEFA and other confederations. Despite this defeat, Infantino is likely to pursue alternative revenue growth strategies, such as expanding tournaments and maximizing broadcasting and sponsorship rights. The episode raises ongoing questions about the commercialization of football's core assets and its impact on the sport's identity.
Summary: FIFA President Gianni Infantino withdrew his plan to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial assets after widespread opposition from football associations and political figures, marking a major political crisis for FIFA and casting uncertainty over his future leadership.
Points: - FIFA President Infantino abandons plan to privatize up to 21% of World Cup commercial assets. - The proposal faced unified opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, AFC, and 137 FIFA member associations. - Private investors led by Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal were set to buy a $4.2 billion stake. - Key FIFA insiders resigned and criticized the plan as a personal project of Infantino. - Threats of boycotts on FIFA tournaments pressured the withdrawal of the privatization scheme. - The failure complicates Infantino's path to re-election in the 2027 FIFA presidential vote.
topic: politics israel_relevant: false entities: {"people":["Gianni Infantino","Joshua Kushner","Jared Kushner","Carlos Cordeiro","Kevin Lamour","Hans-Joachim Watzke","Bernd Neuendorf","Lisa Nandy","Sepp Blatter","Jamie Raskin"],"organizations":["FIFA","UEFA","CONCACAF","Asian Football Confederation","Thrive Eternal"],"places":[] }
