FIFA has abandoned a plan to sell a minority stake in World Cup commercial rights following a revolt by senior officials [1].
The collapse of the proposal prevents private equity investors from gaining control over the tournament's profits, preserving the organization's internal financial autonomy.
The internal opposition reached a peak Friday, when a FIFA adviser to a White House World Cup panel resigned to protest the private equity plan [2]. Zurich-based executive Kevin Lamour also criticized the deal, saying that the organization had deceived staff. Lamour said, "I would rather see Gianni fire me than continue with this plan" [1].
Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal manager and FIFA official, supported the decision to scrap the initiative. Wenger said, "FIFA was right to abandon Gianni Infantino’s private-investment plan for World Cup profits" [3].
Reports on the projected value of the sell-off vary significantly. Some sources estimate the value of the dropped plan at $4.2 billion [4], while other reports suggest the deal was valued at $20 billion [3].
Critics within the organization described the proposal as a "bad deal" that would have handed too much control to outside investors [1]. In response to the escalating crisis, President Gianni Infantino called a meeting in Morocco to address the unrest [5].
Following the public outcry and the loss of key staff support, FIFA officially dropped the plan to monetize its commercial rights through private investment [4].
“"I would rather see Gianni fire me than continue with this plan."”
This reversal highlights a significant internal power struggle within FIFA regarding the commercialization of the world's largest sporting event. By rejecting the infusion of private equity, FIFA avoids a precedent where external shareholders could influence tournament governance or profit distribution, though the wide discrepancy in the deal's reported value suggests a lack of transparency in how the initial proposal was framed to staff.
