FILE -FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news conference at the stadium in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 10, 2026
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is dropping his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after worldwide up๐ซoar against the scheme.ย
The pushback was led by European footballโs governing body UEFA, which said it would boycott the tournament if the sell off went ahead. North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederati๐จn also opposed the plan.ย
In a statement on Friday, Infantino said ๐กe was abandoning the proposal.
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,” the statement said. Our purpose has always been โ and will always be โ 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 Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday’s anno๐ฎncement.
Whileย FIFAย insistedย thatย โnoย oneย isย sellingย football,โย onย Fridayย Infantino’sย seniorย advisorย Carlosย Cordeiro,ย aย formerย Goldmanย Sachsย bankerย whoย representedย theย soccerย bodyย onย theย Whiteย Houseย Taskย Forceย forย theย Worldย Cup,ย resignedย andย urgedย otherย seniorย FIFAย staffย toย speakย out.
I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said in a statement.
Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months ๐nd that the project must not continue.
It is the project of one person,” Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and European soccer body UEFA, wrote. “Not only must this project not go ahead โฆ but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right d๐cisions.”
The misstep could still prove costly. Up f๐จr reelection in March, Infantino was expected to run unopposed. But that could change ahead of the November deadline for other candidates to enter the race.
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