FIFA President Gianni Infantino has abandoned a controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The plan involved creating a 20 billion dollar commercial subsidiary, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise, to control commercial rights. The project caught many by surprise, including members of the FIFA Council, and FIFA reportedly offered 40 million dollars to each country that backed the project.
The proposal triggered an open revolt across the football world. UEFA's 55 member associations unanimously voted to boycott all FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, unless the scheme was shelved, accusing FIFA of putting the sport's soul up for sale. Opposition also came from CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central America, and the Asian Football confederation.
Internal divisions further weakened the initiative. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest, stating he had no involvement in the proposal and describing it as a bad deal that would mortgage football's future. Additionally, FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour issued a scathing rebuke, claiming staff were deceived by Infantino's lack of openness and criticizing a serious lack of respect in how the plan was pursued.
Although FIFA initially defended the plan, claimed that nobody was selling football, and blamed media reports for disrupting consultations, the pressure eventually became unsustainable. Infantino confirmed the proposal would not proceed, admitting that the project had created divisions that were no longer in the interest of the objective.