For the better part of two decades, perhaps even more, corruption has allegedly run rampant within FIFA. Sepp Blatter, in particular, became the face of alleged extortion schemes, and he operated with impunity while at the helm of the organization for 17 years, from 1998 until his forced resignation in 2015 amid an FBI corruption probe. He’s banned for life from all football-related FIFA activities. If you’re new to the organization’s alleged deep connection to corruption, Netflix offers a brilliant 2022 documentary, FIFA Uncovered. In that documentary, Gianni Infantino appears in his previous capacity as Secretary General of UEFA (2009-2016) and later as the newly elected FIFA president, who vowed to root out corruption and hand the beautiful game back to the people where it belongs.
That, as it turns out, was all wishful thinking.
Infantino made global headlines yet again for all the wrong reasons, after The Times in the UK reported that Infantino is proposing the creation of a $20 billion commercial arm that would allow outside investors to have a stake — as much as 20 percent or more — in the World Cup. Infantino’s calling it the “FIFA Forward Enterprise,” and it’s reported that Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital would lead the investment group. Kushner is the brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
According to multiple reports, the global soccer community is up in arms over the proposal. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said its organization was not “afforded the opportunity to examine and discuss it through the appropriate and established governance channels.” The AFC says it learned about the proposal like the rest of the world, through The Times‘ report.
UEFA and CONCACAF are leading the charge in blasting Infantino’s scheme. UEFA issued the strongest response yet, announcing on Thursday that all European nations unanimously agreed to boycott future FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The decision comes one day after Infantino essentially held a gun to the head of the 211 soccer federations by setting a September 19 deadline to decide whether they’ll support the proposal or risk losing $40 million in funding.
“Today we have learned of FIFA’s deadline to associations to support their proposals or have the one-off payout offer withdrawn,” UEFA said in a statement. “This says everything you need to know about this plan. But having held discussions with many stakeholders across the game, UEFA knows there is significant and growing opposition to FIFA’s scheme. FIFA cannot continue to use our sport to enrich themselves and their friends.”
UEFA was adamant that Infantino’s scheme “crosses a line that football governing institutions should never cross.”
Infantino stands to make MILLIONS
The proposal comes not long after Infantino drew outrage after Trump, whom he’s cozied up with over the years, called and asked him to review U.S. men’s national team star Folarin Balogun’s suspension following a one-game ban triggered by a red card issued during the U.S.’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The ban was lifted, and Balogun was allowed to play against Belgium, which destroyed the U.S. in the Round of 16. Infantino insisted that the decision to rescind the suspension came from the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee. That committee is headed by Mohammad al-Kamali of the United Arab Emirates, and the world later learned that he alone made the decision without any input from the other 17 members.
If Infantino gets his way, he would run FIFA’s new enterprise as its commissioner when his term as president ends in 2031. Reports say Infantino’s salary would likely be on par with Roger Goodell’s $64 million annual salary.
Infantino’s no stranger to trying to make his mark on the game. In 2018, Infantino sought to create new international events in conjunction with private investors, including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The deal fell through due to lack of support.
Nearly a decade later, Infantino is at it again. And just like in 2018, Infantino’s proposal is even more unpopular. According to Sky Sports News, a whopping 95.2 percent “believe that FIFA are NOT right to sell a minority stake in the World Cup.”
