FIFA President Gianni Infantino abandoned a controversial plan to sell World Cup profits to private-equity investors on Saturday, July 30 [1, 2].
The decision follows a period of intense internal instability and external backlash. The move signals a retreat for Infantino's administration after several major football governing bodies refused to support the injection of private capital into the tournament's financial structure.
The reversal comes immediately after the resignation of senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro, which was reported on Friday, July 26 [2, 3]. Cordeiro's departure added to the mounting pressure on the organization's leadership in Geneva and Zurich [2].
Opposition to the scheme was not limited to internal staff. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined other regional bodies, including UEFA, and CONCACAF, in opposing the investment plan [1, 3]. The AFC's refusal to align with the proposal left the initiative without the necessary regional consensus to proceed.
Infantino said he was abandoning the plan following the backlash [1]. The proposal sought to leverage private-equity money to increase the commercial value of World Cup competitions, but critics argued it would compromise the governance of the sport.
While some reports indicated Infantino was becoming increasingly isolated as pressure built, the official cancellation of the plan on July 30 provides a definitive end to the current proposal [1, 2].
“FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was abandoning the controversial plan.”
This reversal highlights the significant tension between FIFA's desire for aggressive commercial expansion and the traditional governance models held by regional confederations. By scrapping the plan, FIFA avoids a potential rift with the AFC and UEFA, but it also acknowledges the limits of private-equity influence within the sport's highest administrative levels.
