Fifa: Everything we know about Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell the World Cup

Fifa says it would sell a minority stake in FFE to outside investors based on an initial equity valuation of $34.5 billion. It says this would raise up to $7.3b to fund a new Fifa Fast-Forward Programme (FFFP) as part of a drive to expand football development funding to more than $17.3b.

Fifa says it would retain sole control of FFE and exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, the match calendar and all regulatory and sporting decisions. It has stressed all this is subject to the approval of “the majority” of its 211 member associations.

Those member associations are budgeted to receive $13.8 million between 2027-30 under Fifa’s “Forward” development programme.

Approving the FFE plan would mean they would be handed an immediate “optional” $34.50 – it is unclear on what basis they would choose to reject this cash – before getting another $34.5m between 2027-30, $38m between 2031-34 and $41.5m between 2035-38.

For the associations that rely on Fifa handouts, the increase in Infantino’s largesse would be transformational. Tuesday’s announcement of the plan specifically cited the participation of Cape Verde and Curaçao at the World Cup following a “decade of rising support through Fifa Forward”.

The private equity investors will also expect to make a profit. The announcement mentioned this, but Infantino has been linked with a new role as an all-powerful “commissioner” of the subsidiary when what is scheduled to be his final term as Fifa president expires in 2031. That could see him earn tens of millions of dollars per year.

Given Infantino’s close relationship with Trump, the most notable figure is Joshua Kushner, whose older brother Jared is the United States President’s son-in-law. The billionaire’s Thrive Eternal fund has been named by Fifa as the “expected” lead of the proposed investor group for FFE.

Also involved will be Greg Maffei, chief executive of Bann Ventures, who was president and chief executive of Liberty Media during its acquisition and ownership of Formula One.

JP Morgan and OpenEconomics are also involved in the hunt for prospective investors, which Fifa says is focused on the assembly of “a geographically diversified investor group that reflects the global nature of Fifa and the game”.

It also says expressions of interest to date include investors from across every major region of the world.

Infantino has previously tried to push through a multibillion-dollar deal with private backers. In 2018, he proposed a secretive $43.2b offer spread across 12 years with SoftBank of Japan to create new global competitions, including an expanded men’s Club World Cup, seemingly backed by Saudi Arabian money.

That ultimately failed after meeting fierce resistance from Uefa, which felt that its prize assets, the Champions League and European Championship, were under threat.

Infantino was also asked about his role in the doomed European Super League discussions at a Fifa Congress in 2021 and he said: “At Fifa it is my responsibility to hear, to meet, to discuss with football stakeholders – our member associations, leagues, our clubs, everyone: big, medium and small.

“To listen to some clubs and to speak with some clubs doesn’t mean in any way whatsoever that Fifa was behind, was colluding, was plotting, [on] any Super League project.”

Fifa’s announcement was at pains to downplay the potentially seismic implications for the game of selling a stake in the World Cup.

But private equity involvement could bring pressure to maximise profits for new investors, even if it is to the detriment of the wider game.

The first 48-nation World Cup has barely finished but Fifa is already exploring expanding the next tournament to 64 teams.

Carlos Queiroz, Ghana’s head coach, described the expansion’s impact this summer as “vulgar and ordinary”.

The second edition of its revamped 32-team Club World Cup could also feature more sides. And then there is the potential return of a debate about whether one or both competitions should be staged every two years, rather than every four.

Not to mention the threat of hydration breaks becoming a permanent feature in the game and of World Cup ticket prices remaining unaffordable for all but the wealthiest fans.

Player welfare groups have frequently expressed concern over the match calendar. A report released by players’ union Fifpro previously said some have as little as 12% of the year to rest, which is a result of competition organisers not prioritising player welfare.

Kevin De Bruyne, then at Manchester City, said money talks louder to Fifa and Uefa as he raised concerns over the impact of a crammed calendar.

Infantino says the plan is “about the democratisation of football worldwide” and investing heavily “even in the smallest or most remote parts of the footballing world, places that are too often passed over”.

But he faces a revolt from the richest confederation Uefa, which has said: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”.

Calling for “everyone who cares about the future of the game” to take the threat of it seriously, the organisation added: “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not Fifa’s to sell”.

Other critics who have not been named have used terms such as “nuclear bomb” and “potentially much worse than the European Super League”.

Norway have been vocal in their criticism of Infantino, and will consider making an ethics complaint to Fifa over the decision to suspend a ban imposed on Folarin Balogun, the US forward, at the World Cup. Although Norway have not yet commented on Fifa’s private equity plans, they are unlikely to go down well with European nations.

Infantino’s plans came as he faced a backlash over his defence of his presidency in a 15-slide Instagram rant.

Javier Tebas, the La Liga president, called Infantino’s message “pathetic” and added: “It’s inevitable to wonder ... why precisely now? Is there something that explains such a defensive tone? Is something happening that we don’t know about?”.

– Daily Telegraph UK