FIFA has formally abandoned its contentious proposal to bring private investors into the commercial operations of its flagship competitions following strong opposition from football governing bodies across the world.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the decision on Friday, saying the plan would no longer move forward because it had become a source of division within the global football community.
"It has become clear that this proposal has created divisions that are no longer in the interest of its original objective. As a result, this proposal will not proceed," Infantino said.
The proposal sought to establish a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to oversee the commercial rights of major FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups. Under the arrangement, outside investors would have been allowed to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in the business.
To encourage support, FIFA had offered each of its 211 member associations up to $40 million, subject to approval of the proposal.
The initiative, however, met fierce resistance almost immediately.
UEFA led the opposition, warning that European nations could refuse to participate in future World Cups if the proposal was adopted. Concacaf, the governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the plan, while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declared its solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf.
With UEFA's 55 members, the AFC's 46 and Concacaf's 35 associations aligned against the proposal, Infantino faced an insurmountable hurdle in securing the simple majority of 106 votes required for approval among FIFA's 211 member associations.
The controversy also exposed divisions within FIFA's own leadership.
Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour admitted that the organisation's administration had been "deceived" over aspects of the project, while Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy and governance, stepped down from his role, describing the proposal as "a bad deal for football" that would effectively "mortgage football's future."
Although the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) had yet to announce formal positions, South American governing body CONMEBOL requested further details from FIFA before deciding whether to support the initiative.
In announcing the withdrawal, Infantino said FIFA would instead focus on restoring unity among its member associations.
"Our purpose has always been—and will always be—to unite and improve. Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game," he said.
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa welcomed the decision, stressing that major reforms affecting world football should only be pursued through broad consultation and respect for existing governance structures.
Documents prepared for the proposal indicated that FIFA expected the new commercial model to generate significantly higher revenues through expanded competitions and new business ventures, resulting in larger financial distributions to member associations during the 2035–2039 commercial cycle.
The proposed investor group was expected to be led by Thrive Eternal, a United States-based venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Trump said he had not discussed the proposal with Infantino despite their well-known relationship.
The reversal represents a major setback for Infantino as he prepares to seek another term as FIFA president at the organisation's Congress next March, with the failed proposal likely to remain a key issue in the campaign.If you'd like, I can also produce a more analytical newspaper version with stronger emphasis on the political implications for Infantino's re-election bid.
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