FIFA scraps controversial World Cup investment plan

sportsJul 31, 202627774

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Friday he has scrapped the proposal to sell private stakes in FIFA's major competitions after the project "created divisions" and "will not proceed." Infantino had offered each of FIFA's 211 member associations $40m if they backed a plan to create a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, that would invite minority, non-controlling investments to run World Cups and other tournaments. European football's 55-member UEFA voted to boycott World Cups if the plans went ahead, and Concacaf publicly rejected the proposal with sources saying many of its members had lost faith in Infantino. The Asian Football Confederation said it stood in solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf, leaving Infantino unable to secure the majority of 106 votes needed from the 211 members. FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said the administration had been "deceived" about the project, and senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, calling the proposal "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future." Infantino set a 19 September deadline for federations to accept the plan to access an initial $20m, and a JP Morgan document outlined expanded tournament payouts reaching an estimated 24 million euros per member association in the 2035-2039 cycle. Infantino said he now intends to bring interested parties back together ahead of his bid for re-election at the FIFA Congress in March.

Eric Champnella

@echamp.bsky.social

If only Americans rose up in as much outrage about Trump selling off America as soccer fans rose up against FIFA selling off the World Cup

1323h ago

Lisa ⚖️🌎1

Now Infantino can step down.

Ma Carol1

A reminder it wasn’t football fans but teams and federations that stood up.

George Pearkes

@peark.es

Infantino is “uncle” in Italian. *FIFA WON'T PROCEED WITH WORLD CUP INVESTMENT PLANS: SKY

1374h ago

meekman.bsky.social4

Can they remove him and clean house now?

Quoting this

EconReporter2

Oh this is weak!! Can't imagine anyone trying to pull one of this post Super League is so under prepared!!🫵

Scott Horton

@robertscotthorton.bsky.social

Facing global rebellion, Infantino abandons the Trump-Kushner plan to take Fifa private for fun and profit. www.ft.com/content/5840...

884h ago

Cuoco/pittore2

Now he just needs to resign -

Mukha Yoga2

He still needs to resign. He can no longer be trusted no amount of u-turning will change that.

safexxi.bsky.social1

Get it in writing : kushner fuck off. Anyway, they’ll be back with a sneaky way to put pressure on. Remember who the kushner family is: Bibi slept in the boys rooms. He was an adult. They were children.

Jackie Woke Antifa1

Piece of shit criminals need to go prison. So over these greedy fuckers.

Pardeep Cattry

@pcattry.bsky.social

…I think the Trump curse finally came for Gianni Infantino www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/...

873h ago

Rep. Geoff Smith1

In an organization full of amazingly bad ideas, somehow that one may have been the worst.

Quoting this

Ajarn Micha2

Yes. But why isn't the Trump curse coming over himself?

Miguel Delaney

@migueldelaney.bsky.social

Fifa scrap privatisation plans in humiliating climbdown for Infantino - that may not be enough to save him www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...

784h ago

antener.bsky.social3

From your lips to God’s ears.

…1

And well done 👏 to you and all on the coverage on @todayfm.bsky.social today. A really informative discussion on this topic.

Brendannzzzzzzz1

Surely, he has to resign now.

Quoting this

Darren Russcher 🇨🇦3

Let us pray. Even though we simply get some different corrupted geezer, this guy needs to jog on.

Korean Footballers Abroad2

Kick him to the curb.

Chris Vannini

@chrisvannini.com

NEWS: FIFA announces the private investment plans will NOT move forward. This comes after Europe threatened to boycott the World Cup and other continents followed by rejecting the proposal.

764h ago

Paul Henricksen6

Hopefully the next press release is Infantino resigning 🤞

Charlie Fillenwarth1

Any statement from Infantino that does not end with “I resign as FIFA President, effective immediately” is incomplete.

Bdon1

Let it be known, bullying works

Quoting this

CDRE Fool Mental Jackass VI5

“HURT LIKE HELL AINT IT? DONT DO THAT NO MORE”

NotoriousMIZ5

Okay, now you have to run the motherfucker who proposed it out of town on a rail.

LSAClassOf20004

Even so, fuck FIFA, quite honestly.

Mookie Alexander3

Who Gianni Infantino thought he was vs. What actually happened:

Mara Johnson2

Football is safe...for now. I'm betting they'll send out the bribes before announcing the next attempt at this

Murshed Zaheed

@murshedz.bsky.social

Once UEFA stood up to Infantino's bully move - it was over. But, UEFA shouldn't be relenting now. They need to move to get Infantino out of FIFA forever. Get this greedy assclown fired and out of the game.

444h ago

Fared Al Mahlool | فريد المحلول

@faredalmahlool.bsky.social

FIFA forced to scrap World Cup private investment plan after backlash

374h ago

Terry Twinspin 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

@stuartdj.bsky.social

Good. Now don’t bring back a proposal that is remotely similar, you snake Fifa scraps controversial World Cup investment plan www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

84h ago

Lauren Ashley Davis

@laurenmeidasa.bsky.social

BREAKING 🚨 🚨 🚨 FIFA’s proposed plan to sell private stakes in upcoming World Cup tournaments that sparked backlash from fans and soccer associations around the world has been scrapped, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement Friday. www.cnn.com/2026/07/31/s...

82h ago

Jenn

@jennburrill.bsky.social

Bad day for the Kushner family... Jared's under investigation & Joshua Kushner lost the venture capital deal to privatize FIFA www.bbc.com/sport/footba...

83h ago

Karen Pauls

@karenpaulscbc.bsky.social

#Breaking: #FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Friday ‌world soccer's governing body has scrapped plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors ⁠after ⁠widespread ‌backlash. www.cbc.ca/sports/socce...

94h ago

Quoting this

freshwater fELA 🇨🇦2

What it looks like when people have principles and stand up to corruption. I feel like we haven’t seen this as a society as often as we used to, or as much as we should.

Pirate Jenny

@ljndawson.bsky.social

Not just UEFA. Also Concacaf - let's not make it out that the Europeans are the deciding vote here. www.espn.com/soccer/story...

82h ago

Michael O' 🇮🇪🇺🇲🇨🇦

@socratesxxx.bsky.social

REUTERS LIVE:- FIFA scraps World Cup sell-off plan after resistance from members - www.reuters.com/sports/socce...

63h ago

DCapTO

@dcapto.bsky.social

Now imagine what the entire WORKFORCE could push back on if we organized. We have power to withhold labour. The powers-that-be only respond to the language of $$$ ✊🛠️ Alt text: Portrait of FIFA President Infantino talking, headline: BREAKING: FIFA to abandon World Cup stake sale plan, Infantino says

53h ago

3 sources

bbc.co.ukFifa World Cup plans: Governing body scraps Gianni Infantino's private investment proposal after widespread opposition cp24.comFIFA scraps controversial US$20 billion World Cup investment plan aljazeera.comFIFA forced to scrap World Cup private investment plan after backlash

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FIFA scraps controversial World Cup investment plan

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