FIFA President Gianni Infantino is under fire from the US House Judiciary Committee over his plan to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup to a private investment fund backed by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner and brother-in-law to Donald Trump. Ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin has called Infantino to appear before Congress, citing potential conflicts of interest involving the Trump family.
Congressional scrutiny over Trump ties
Raskin told Politico that FIFA was “going directly into business with the Trump family,” referencing a peace prize Infantino awarded Trump in December and FIFA’s office space in Trump Tower. “Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough – now Infantino performs a kickback hat-trick by pursuing a multibillion-dollar deal with Jared Kushner’s brother to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors.”
Raskin has requested FIFA documents related to gifts and benefits provided to Trump and visitor logs for the Trump Tower office. The committee is investigating whether the deal undermines FIFA’s integrity.
The Kushner family network
The Kushner family is central to Trump’s web. Father Charles Kushner, convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering, was pardoned by Trump in 2020 and now serves as ambassador to France despite not speaking French. Jared Kushner, married to Ivanka Trump, served as a Special Envoy for Peace and helped negotiate a ceasefire with Iran that has since collapsed. He also attempted to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Joshua Kushner, 41, leads Thrive Capital and its affiliate Thrive Eternal, which will be the lead investor in FIFA Forward Enterprise, the commercial spin-off Infantino proposes to sell shares in. Jared divested his shares in Thrive Capital in 2017 when joining Trump’s first administration, but family connections remain tight.
Dealmaking parallels
After Trump’s first term, Jared secured £2 billion in funding from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for his investment vehicle, Affinity Fund Management. The New York Times reported that PIF advisers raised concerns about Affinity’s inexperience and that Saudi Arabia bore most of the risk, but the PIF board, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, overruled objections.
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, driven by Prince Mohammed. The PIF, owner of Newcastle United and Aramco, is FIFA’s newest sponsor, with deals worth around $100 million annually.
Controversial ties to Saudi Arabia
Kushner defended the PIF deal, challenging critics to “point to a single decision we made that wasn’t in the interest of America.” Prince Mohammed was implicated in the 2018 murder of US citizen Jamal Khashoggi, with a US intelligence report concluding he approved an operation to capture or kill the dissident. Saudi Arabia rejected the report as inaccurate.
US-Saudi relations have warmed under Trump’s second term. Last week, the US agreed to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on civilian nuclear power, and the two nations coordinated airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
Joshua Kushner’s role
Joshua Kushner is now the kingpin in selling the World Cup to investors. Politico reports he will approach sovereign wealth funds to build a diversified investment base. Critics note that even a 20% minority stake could give effective control if Infantino remains unaccountable.
The plan has drawn ire from Uefa executives and football fans, who see it as a sell-off of the sport’s crown jewel. Infantino has been summoned to the House Judiciary Committee, where he will face questions about the deal’s transparency and conflicts of interest.
