FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been under fire after his ambitious plan to sell a roughly twenty‑percent stake in a new entity that would control World Cup commercial rights collapsed, drawing sharp criticism from football’s governing bodies and observers alike.
A proposal that fell apart
The scheme envisioned creating a holding company to oversee the tournament and related events, with investors invited to purchase a stake that could raise up to $4.2 billion. Thrive Capital, the private‑equity firm founded by Joshua Kushner, was positioned to anchor the deal, leveraging its connection to Jared Kushner, the son‑in‑law of former president Donald Trump.
Infantino repeatedly tried to contact Trump by phone in the days following the proposal’s collapse, but the calls never connected. Stakeholders, wary of privatizing the sport’s most valuable asset, mounted a vigorous resistance that forced the plan’s retreat.
The episode also revived scrutiny of Infantino’s bid to extend his tenure at FIFA through 2031, a move that has already faced opposition from several national federations. In December 2025, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, the first recipient of the award, underscoring the close relationship between the two figures.
Although talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were scheduled, the meeting never materialized, leaving the former administration’s involvement in the soccer‑governance debate largely symbolic.