Infantino backtracks and suddenly faces threat of dismissal

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino has withdrawn his controversial plan to sell a stake in World Cup rights to private investors. Following fierce opposition from the European soccer community, threats of a boycott, and resignations among his own leadership, the FIFA president admitted: “The project has caused divisions that are no longer in the interest of the original goal.”

The plan, called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), called for the creation of a subsidiary that would manage the commercial rights to the men’s, women’s, and club World Cups. External investors, with Josh Kushner’s Thrive Capital as the lead investor, would be able to purchase up to 20% of the shares. FIFA would retain 50%, and the 211 member associations would collectively hold 20–30%. Each federation was offered a stake worth approximately 35 million euros.

But the proposal sparked unprecedented opposition. UEFA announced it would boycott all FIFA competitions if the plan went ahead. CONCACAF (North America) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined in the criticism. The plan was also poorly received within FIFA’s leadership: Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior advisor since 2021, resigned. “This is a bad deal for FIFA member nations, a bad deal for soccer,” he said. He pointed out that FIFA has large, debt-free reserves and wondered who would actually benefit from it.

Even harsher criticism came from Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer and a longtime confidant of Infantino. “This project isn’t FIFA’s; it’s one person’s project,” he stated. “Our administration has been misled. This shows a lack of transparency, good governance, and respect.” Lamour said he accepted his resignation so he could express his opinion. “We all want to be proud to work for FIFA. Today, for many, that is no longer the case.” With the AFC, UEFA, and CONCACAF opposed to him, a majority of the voting nations appeared set to reject the plan. The pressure on Infantino, who has announced his candidacy for a fourth term in March 2027, is now immense. European federations are actively seeking a rival candidate; names such as Victor Montagliani (CONCACAF) and Sheikh Salman (AFC) are being mentioned. Infantino promised to “bring all parties involved back together,” and restore consensus. But trust has been severely damaged. The question is no longer whether he will backtrack, but how much longer he will remain in office.

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