FIFA have announced that they’ll be scrapping plans to sell off a stake in the World Cup following intense backlash.
It was reported earlier this week that ever-controversial FIFA President Gianni Infantino was planning to sell off stakes in FIFA, including the World Cup, to private investors — plans that have been decried both in the football and political world.
Several football federations — including UEFA, of which the FAI is a member — have threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if the plans were to go ahead.
In a statement released early on Saturday morning (August 1), FIFA confirmed that they are abandoning the plans after it created ‘divisions of a nature… that are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.’
‘The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed,’ the statement read.
‘And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.’
‘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.
‘Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.’
Infantino added in the statement that he will be bringing back ‘all interested parties’ in the coming weeks, ‘with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.’
The plan was to create the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) which would bring together the sale of FIFA’s commercial rights with the operational delivery of its tournaments.
The most controversial aspect of the plans was that FIFA were to sell 20% of its stake to private investors — with Thrive Eternal, which was founded by the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was earmarked to be the lead investor.
Joshua Kushner, the founder of Thrive Eternal, has declined to comment on the matter, while US President Trump — who has a close relationship with Infantino — said that he hadn’t spoken with him about the proposal.
The European football confederation UEFA — one of the biggest and most powerful in world football — threatened to boycott the World Cup after its 55 member nations voted against the plans.
CONCACAF, which represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the plans, while the AFC in Asia called for an ‘urgent review’ of FIFA’s decision-making framework and governance.
Infantino’s senior advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned immediately after the plans were confirmed by Infantino, while FIFA”s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said that it was ‘a project of one person [Infantino].’
