Why has Infantino scrapped FIFA’s World Cup investment plan? What to know
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has abandoned his plan to invite private investors, including Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal, to purchase a 20% stake in a newly created subsidiary managing World Cup and FIFA event revenues. The proposal, which would have raised $4.2 billion based on a $20 billion valuation, triggered significant backlash from European nations threatening boycotts and accusations of deception from senior staff.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino's position has shifted dramatically following a controversial investment proposal unveiled last week. The plan would have created FIFA Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary housing the commercial operations of world football's governing body, including tournament management, broadcasting rights, sponsorship, ticketing, and hospitality revenues. Under the structure, private investors would have acquired approximately 20% equity stakes in the subsidiary, with Thrive Eternal—a firm launched by Joshua Kushner—positioned as the lead investor. The proposal aimed to raise $4.2 billion based on an overall $20 billion valuation of the subsidiary.
The investment initiative provoked swift and severe opposition across global football. European nations publicly pledged to boycott FIFA events in protest, while senior FIFA staff members alleged that Infantino had misled stakeholders about the plan's scope and implications. The intensity of the backlash created what observers described as a fundamental rift within international football governance, threatening Infantino's previously secure position ahead of his anticipated re-election in March.
Infantino announced on Friday that he was withdrawing the proposal entirely. In a statement, he acknowledged that the initiative had generated divisions incompatible with its original objectives, regardless of the level of support it had garnered. The decision came despite Infantino having secured election pledges from approximately 200 of FIFA's 211 member federations just days earlier, suggesting that even this substantial backing proved insufficient to overcome the unified opposition.
The proposal had offered FIFA's 211 member federations $20 million each to accept the investment structure, with a September 19 deadline for acceptance. These federations, which function as the effective owners of FIFA under Swiss nonprofit law, were also promised $10 million annually over the subsequent four years, funded primarily by FIFA's record $15 billion revenue generated in 2023.
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