Infantino drops plan to sell World Cup profits after worldwide pushback

FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news conference at the stadium in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. - Copyright © africanews Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Last updated: 45 minutes ago Gianni Infantino FIFA President Gianni Infantino is dropping his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after worldwide uproar against the scheme. The pushback was led by European football’s governing body UEFA, which said it would boycott the tournament if the sell off went ahead. North America's CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also opposed the plan. In a statement on Friday, Infantino said he was abandoning the proposal. "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," the statement said. "Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed." Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors including Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday's announcement. While FIFA insisted that “no one is selling football,” on Friday Infantino's senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out. "I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup," Cordeiro said in a statement. Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino's lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the project must not continue. "It is the project of one person," Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and European soccer body UEFA, wrote. "Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions." The misstep could still prove costly. Up for reelection in March, Infantino was expected to run unopposed. But that could change ahead of the November deadline for other candidates to enter the race. Related articles