Infantino withdraws plan to sell stakes in the World Cup: four days from announcement to retreat

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has withdrawn the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which would have sold stakes in the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors.
The statement, titled simply "Statement attributable to the FIFA President," was circulated by the organisation late on Friday evening.
"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. 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. 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, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support," the statement reads.
Four days
As 1news.az reported, FIFA announced its plans for FFE on Tuesday. The proposal concerned a commercial subsidiary that would have managed the rights to the organisation’s flagship tournaments, including the World Cup, with outside investors able to acquire a stake. The lead investor was to have been a New York firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Everything that followed fitted into 96 hours. On Thursday UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC issued statements opposing the plan; the European confederation warned that the national teams of its member associations could refuse to take part in FIFA competitions if the project were not abandoned. On Friday, Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest, calling the plan "a bad deal for FIFA’s Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game." FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also spoke out publicly against the president. CONMEBOL, whose president Alejandro Domínguez is regarded as a close ally of Infantino, demanded further information on the "scope, structure, governance and potential effects" of the project.
As late as Friday morning, FIFA was still defending the project. The organisation insisted that "nobody is selling football" and intended to continue the consultation process, blaming the disruption on "erroneous reporting in the media." By the end of the same day, the project had been withdrawn.
The political factor
The pressure extended beyond the football community. A day earlier, the European Union had commended UEFA for "defending the integrity of the game." On Friday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham — the Labour leader who took office little more than two weeks ago — became the first head of a major government to call on Infantino to resign. He described the plans as "an outrageous suggestion": "The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, [he] is the wrong man to lead the organisation."
Earlier in the week Burnham, an Everton supporter, had written: "Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine."
Reaction to the withdrawal
The Asian Football Confederation, which represents 47 national associations, welcomed the withdrawal on Saturday, noting that any initiative liable to affect global football should be "presented and discussed with the Confederations, the FIFA Council, Member Associations (MAs) and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner." UEFA had not issued an official response as of publication.
At the same time, details that had not previously been made public are coming to light. Member associations were to have reached a decision by 19 September, with Infantino warning that they "risk being left behind" if they did not accept the proposal. According to CBS Sports, refusing to back the plan would have meant a 75 percent reduction in potential funding for an association. The stake offered to outside investors amounted to up to 20 percent of the equity in a company valued at $20 billion.
What remains
The withdrawal removes the immediate threat of a boycott, but it does not settle the question of Infantino’s own position. Before the FFE announcement, his re-election to a fourth term at next March’s vote of the member associations looked all but assured. It no longer does — particularly given the AFC’s stance and the remarks of its president, Sheikh Salman, who until now had remained a committed ally of the incumbent FIFA chief.
The wording of the statement is notable for what it omits. Infantino does not abandon the idea on its merits and does not concede error; he observes that the project proved divisive and shifts the question onto the ground of restoring consensus. The arithmetic, meanwhile, was against him: the combined votes of the AFC, CONCACAF and UEFA already exceeded the half needed to reject the proposal.
For AFFA and other associations in the region, the practical consequence is straightforward: UEFA’s commitment not to take part in FIFA competitions was tied to the proposal remaining live, and the proposal has been withdrawn. Qualifying cycles and the calendar remain unchanged.