Kushner states regret over World Cup sell-off plan
Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner has expressed regret over his involvement in a scrapped FIFA proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup. While he maintains the goal was to distribute capital more equitably among member associations, he admits to underestimating the political complexities of global football.
Why it matters
The controversy highlights the tension between private equity investment and the governance of international sports bodies, currently under legal scrutiny.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Joshua Kushner founded Thrive Capital in 2009
Sports editor Published 1 hour ago Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, who was set to be the lead investor in Fifa president Gianni Infantino's scrapped plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup, says he now regrets joining the proposal.
In his first public comments since the now-shelved Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme sparked a major crisis for the governing body, Kushner said: "Had we known what this would devolve into, we would not have gotten involved".
He added he had "failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football".
However, he also defended the proposal, saying, "we stand behind the motivations of FFE", and that its intention "was to direct more capital and equity equally" among Fifa's 211 member associations.
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