.The plan to sell the World Cup to investors close to Trump ignites a crisis within FIFA. | Dimalions
The plan to sell the World Cup to investors close to Trump ignites a crisis within FIFA.
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Sport
The plan to sell the World Cup to investors close to Trump ignites a crisis within FIFA.
Hesspress Sports·
The International Football Federation "FIFA" has entered one of its most complex crises in years, after a plan to establish a new commercial company involving investors close to U.S. President Donald Trump sparked an unprecedented wave of objections within the corridors of the game. This culminated in the resignation of one of the federation's prominent advisors, Gianni Infantino, and expanded to include most continental federations, amid warnings that the project could change the nature of global football management and open the door to investor influence in the most important sporting event at the national team level.
The crisis has turned into a real test for Infantino's leadership, after Carlos Cordeiro, one of his closest advisors, announced his immediate resignation in protest against the project, considering that the plan represents "a bad deal for football," and that it mortgages the future of the game without convincing justifications. Meanwhile, FIFA insists on continuing consultations with national federations, affirming that no final decision will be made without the approval of the majority.
The project involves the establishment of a new company named "FIFA Forward Enterprise," which will manage the commercial rights of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments, while opening the door for private investors to own up to 20 percent of its shares, in a deal that values the company at around $20 billion. FIFA hopes to raise more than $4 billion to expand its financial resources allocated for the development of football.
FIFA is betting that the project will enable it to double the funding directed to national federations in the coming years, as it confirmed that the plan could raise the total funding for development programs to $10 billion over four years, with each national federation receiving an exceptional boost of up to $20 million, in addition to increasing regular funding allocations from $8 million to $20 million during the 2027-2030 cycle. These figures are what Infantino relies on to convince national federations to support the project.
However, these financial promises did not prevent the rise of opposition, as the first blow came from within Infantino's inner circle, when Carlos Cordeiro, who was appointed by Infantino as an advisor in 2021, announced his withdrawal from his position, confirming that he did not participate in preparing the proposal and that he opposes it "categorically." He added that the project does not serve the member federations or the future of football and exposes FIFA's most important assets to long-term risks, a position that observers considered indicative of the extent of division within the organization itself.
The criticisms did not stop with Cordeiro's resignation, as Kevin Lamour, FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, directed direct criticisms at Infantino, considering that the project represents "one person's initiative," accusing the federation's president of misleading employees, and emphasizing that FIFA's mission is to serve global football, not personal interests, in one of the most severe internal criticisms faced by FIFA's leadership in years.
FIFA responded to these criticisms with an official statement, confirming that the talk of selling football is "incorrect," and that the federation does not intend to relinquish its control over its tournaments or regulatory decisions, clarifying that investors will remain minority shareholders, while governance, the sports calendar, and decisions related to tournaments will remain the exclusive jurisdiction of FIFA. It also stressed that the establishment of the new company will only occur after the approval of the majority of the 211 member national federations, considering that the ongoing consultation process reflects the democratic principles on which FIFA is based.
Despite these reassurances, the circle of opponents to the project rapidly expanded, as UEFA led the opposition campaign, considering that the plan puts the "spirit of football" up for sale, and threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments if the federation proceeds with the project. Subsequently, representatives of the fifty-five European federations unanimously voted to reject the proposal, in an unprecedented step reflecting the level of tension between the two institutions.
Quickly, the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Football Confederation "CONCACAF" joined the opponents, announcing its rejection of the project, although it chose not to threaten a boycott. Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation expressed its solidarity with the positions of UEFA and CONCACAF, confirming that the project cannot, amid current divisions, achieve the necessary consensus to move forward. It also considered that the way the proposal was prepared revealed weaknesses in the consultation and decision-making mechanisms within FIFA, calling for an urgent review of the governance system.
The Asian Confederation pointed out that any project of this magnitude, which could affect the commercial and sporting future of football, should not be presented in a way that gives continental and national federations a sense of being excluded from the decision-making process, a position that reflects the widening gap between FIFA's leadership and several of its key partners in managing the game.
In contrast, the Oceania Football Confederation did not adopt an opposing stance, merely calling its national federations to study the project and participate in the consultations initiated by FIFA. Meanwhile, the African Football Confederation urged its members to study the proposal before taking a final position, while the South American Football Confederation "CONMEBOL" remained outside the circle of commentary, without announcing an official position so far.
Reactions extended beyond sports institutions, as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that merely considering the project proves that Gianni Infantino "is not the right person to lead FIFA," describing the plan as "an outrageous proposal," in comments reflecting the transfer of the debate from sports circles to the political arena.
For his part, Spanish coach Xabi Alonso announced his support for the opponents' position, asserting that football should remain "the property of the fans," not private investors, considering that tournaments like the World Cup should maintain their nature and sporting value away from commercial considerations.
Amid these developments, the name of American investor Joshua Kushner, founder of "Thrive Capital," emerged as a candidate to lead the group of potential investors in the new company, being the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, which increased the political and media interest in the project, despite Trump denying having any discussions with Infantino regarding the plan, affirming during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David that he did not discuss with FIFA's president the issue of selling a stake in the federation's commercial rights.
Opponents of the project assert that the danger does not lie in the amount of money it may provide, but in the precedent it will establish, as they believe that opening the door for private investors to enter the most important commercial assets of global football could lead in the future to prioritizing profit over sporting considerations, granting the private sector increasing influence within a system that has historically been managed by national and continental federations.
In contrast, FIFA insists that the project represents a historic opportunity to enhance the game's resources, expand development programs, and reduce financial disparities between federations, affirming that actual ownership will remain with FIFA, and that investors will only hold a minority stake, while all sports and regulatory decisions will remain outside the scope of investment.
This crisis comes at a sensitive time for Gianni Infantino, who is preparing to run for FIFA presidency next year, amid reports of the potential candidacy of CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani to compete against him, which makes the battle over "FIFA Forward Enterprise" transcend financial debate to become a real test for the future of FIFA's leadership and for Infantino's ability to maintain consensus within the organization that manages the most popular sport in the world.
