Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell off chunks of World Cup sensationally collapses
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has abandoned a controversial plan to sell commercial rights of the World Cup to private investors. The proposal faced intense backlash from UEFA and other confederations, leading to internal resignations and threats of boycotts.
Why it matters
The collapse of this deal highlights the significant tension between FIFA's commercial ambitions and the governance concerns of its member associations.
Gianni Infantino ’s proposal to sell chunks of the World Cup to private investors has sensationally collapsed, with the Fifa president admitting the project “has created divisions of a nature that are no longer of the interest of the objective”, amid widespread anger globally.
The plan had caused ructions within football around the world, leading Uefa to threaten a boycott of future Fifa tournaments if it was not shelved. Other confederations had also come out in opposition while one of Infantino’s senior advisers, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned on Friday in protest at the scheme. The Fifa chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, had also aimed a scathing rebuke at Infantino’s “serious lack of respect” in seeking to force it through with minimal consultation.
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