FIFA president Gianni Infantino is fighting to save his presidency after his secret plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to outside investors triggered a furious backlash, with UEFA threatening to paralyze the global governing body until he steps down. The plan, which would have sold 21% of future World Cup revenues for $10 billion, was revealed just days after Infantino celebrated a record $15 billion revenue from the 2022 tournament.
Revelation and Backlash
The proposal, presented to FIFA's council the day before the World Cup final, offered each member association a $500,000 cash bonus to approve it within 53 days. The plan was met with immediate opposition from UEFA, whose 55 members unanimously rejected it at an emergency meeting, and from several other confederations, leading Infantino to shelve it at an emergency FIFA meeting in Rabat, Morocco, this week.
Infantino, who has not held a press conference since 2017, has relied on social media and stage-managed events to project confidence, but the scandal has exposed deep divisions within FIFA. The chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, who voted against the plan, was notably absent from the Rabat meeting, signaling a rift at the top.
Roots of the Crisis
The current crisis is not an isolated incident but the culmination of years of controversy that began with the 2010 decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. That decision, made under Sepp Blatter, led to an FBI investigation and the arrests of FIFA officials in Zurich in 2015, forcing Blatter's resignation. Infantino, then UEFA's general secretary, was elected in 2016 as a reform candidate, but his tenure has been marked by a series of scandals, including the firing of ethics committee members and his close ties to the Trump family.
Infantino's relationship with Donald Trump has been a recurring theme, from awarding Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to renting an office in Trump Tower. The proposed investment deal involved Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, raising questions about conflicts of interest.
UEFA's Threat and Future
UEFA has vowed to "paralyze" FIFA, with the first potential boycott being the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland in September. Poland has invested heavily in infrastructure but may side with UEFA. Infantino's supporters include the Confederation of African Football, Mexico, Argentina, Qatar, and several others, but letters of support are being withdrawn as the crisis deepens.
The election for FIFA president is scheduled for March 2025, but Infantino's position is precarious. "The institution itself is rotten; it may be that it is irredeemable," said a former FIFA insider. The crisis has reignited calls for fundamental reform, but the path forward remains uncertain as Infantino clings to power.
