'Created division': Gianni Infantino abandons FIFA sell-off plan following global backlash

Gianni Infantino announced to Sky News that FIFA was scrapping plans to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors, in a climbdown following a global backlash that has imperilled his presidency.

Mr Infantino accepted his attempts to create a new commercial subsidiary of FIFA had "created divisions" that were no longer in the interests of football.

The move follows an escalating crisis throughout the week when we first disclosed European nations would boycott the World Cup, and then revealed on Friday that Mr Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, had quit in protest.

Follow the latest on the scrapped sell-off

Global football confederations held emergency meetings, with the majority of the world's football associations opposed to the sell-off and expressing concern the plans were conceived in secret without consulting them first.

Now Mr Infantino is trying to save his FIFA job after we reported that he was increasingly losing the confidence of voters.

In a statement first issued to Sky News, he said: "Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.

"Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."

Mr Infantino was first elected in 2016 to clean up FIFA after Sepp Blatter's reign ended in scandal and a wave of arrest of football officials.

The Swiss-Italian is due to stand for re-election next year for another four-year term.

He said: "Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, and particularly in those countries that mostly need our support."

The venture would potentially have sold about 20% of the commercial rights to FIFA competitions to private investors.

Even with FIFA remaining the majority owner, it was denounced as selling off the World Cup.

The world's 211 football associations were offered a strong financial incentive to accept the offer or be left with reduced funding if it went ahead without their backing.

Sky News obtained a secret FIFA presentation that showed FAs were being promised access to $86m (£64m) each over the next 12 years, instead of $36m (£26m) under the existing development model.

Read more from Sky News:
Infantino's adviser quits in protest
FIFA boss rapidly losing support

Mr Infantino said: "The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed.

"And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders."

Concerns about the funding of the project centred on the links to Donald Trump's family.

The investment was going to be led by Thrive Capital, whose CEO is Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Instead of gaining access to the biggest events in football, Joshua Kushner has instead become attached to a project condemned not just by football leaders but also Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Mr Burnham also said Mr Infantino is the "wrong man to lead the organisation".

He has survived previous controversies, including an attempt to double the frequency of World Cups to every two years, when a UEFA outcry also forced a climbdown.

To lift the boycott of FIFA competitions, UEFA members on Thursday did not just want Mr Infantino to abandon the proposal in its "entirety".

The 55 European nations also demanded "binding assurances... that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Created division': Gianni Infantino abandons FIFA sell-off plan following global backlash