FIFA has abandoned its controversial plan to sell a minority stake in its commercial operations, including the FIFA World Cup, following strong opposition from football federations and internal criticism.FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Friday that the proposal would not move forward after it became clear it had created divisions within the global football community.“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, as quoted by Reuters.“Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed,” he added.The plan, unveiled earlier this week, proposed raising up to $4.2 billion by selling around a 20% stake in a newly created commercial entity that would manage FIFA events, including the World Cup. FIFA had argued that the investment would generate funds for global football development and rejected claims that it was commercialising the sport.Infantino had also told FIFA’s member associations they would receive $40 million each if they approved the proposal by September 19.However, the plan drew swift resistance from football’s major continental bodies. UEFA, European football’s governing body, accused FIFA of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale and voted unanimously on Thursday to boycott FIFA tournaments unless the proposal was withdrawn.CONCACAF, representing North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal, while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) later announced it stood in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF. Together, the three confederations represent 143 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, making it virtually impossible for the proposal to secure majority approval.The backlash also exposed divisions within FIFA. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned with immediate effect, describing the proposal as “a bad deal for football.” FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour reportedly told staff they had been “deceived” by Infantino and characterised the initiative as “a project of one person.”Seeking to ease tensions, Infantino said he would engage with stakeholders in the coming weeks to find other ways to strengthen the global game, particularly in developing football nations.The abandoned proposal centred on the creation of a $20-billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would oversee the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. Thrive Eternal, an investment fund managed by Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner, had been expected to lead the investor consortium, which was a main part of the controversy. Joshua is the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The connection prompted questions over potential political influence, although FIFA maintained the investment process was based on commercial considerations, and Trump said he had not discussed the proposal with Infantino.Infantino, 56, is due to seek re-election as FIFA president next year amid reports that CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is considering challenging him. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also criticised Infantino, calling him “the wrong man to lead the organisation.”US President Donald Trump, who has developed close ties with Infantino during preparations for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the United States, said he had not discussed the investment proposal with the FIFA chief.
