FIFA President Gianni Infantino Abandons World Cup Investment Plan After Fierce Backlash

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has pulled the plug on his plan to sell a stake in the World Cup. He confirmed the decision in a statement issued late Friday. Infantino admitted the project had created deep divisions across world football. 

He said those divisions no longer served the plan’s original purpose. The scheme aimed to raise billions by folding FIFA’s commercial operations into a new spinoff company. Private investors, including a firm linked to Joshua Kushner, were set to buy in. 

Backlash built quickly after FIFA unveiled the plan earlier in the week. UEFA and its member associations threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions entirely. The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF soon voiced their own objections too. 

Together, these bodies represent a large share of FIFA’s voting membership. Opposition also emerged from inside FIFA’s own ranks. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest over the weekend. He argued the deal risked damaging the organization’s member associations long-term. 

Other football figures publicly criticized the plan as well. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter warned that selling football’s commercial rights risks selling its soul too. Infantino insisted his goal had always been to unite the sport, not divide it. 

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He said the proposal simply would not move forward given the level of resistance it faced. The reversal marks a rare and public setback for a leader who rarely faces this level of pushback. It also raises fresh questions about how FIFA plans and consults on major decisions going forward.