FIFA says it’s not moving forward with controversial World Cup sell-off plan
News
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday that the international soccer governing body would not be moving forward with a controversial proposal to sell stakes in future competitions to private investors.
“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,” Infantino said in a statement.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed,” the statement continued.
Details
The update comes after the proposal was met with boycotts and a resignation by Infantino’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro.
“Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” Cordeiro said in a statement posted on his official LinkedIn account earlier Friday. “It is a bad deal for FIFA’s Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.”
Cordeiro, who had also served as senior adviser to the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, said FIFA “already has access to extraordinary final resources,” claiming the plan is “mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification.”
Analysis
His resignation came after UEFA’s 55 member associations in Europe voted on Thursday to boycott the World Cup if FIFA continues with the plan.
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, said the decision was made at an emergency meeting on Thursday.
CONCACAF, the group that runs the sport in North America, Central America and parts of South America, also said it would reject the proposal after its members met Thursday afternoon.
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