World football's governing body FIFA has officially called off a contentious plan to offload a 20% stake in a newly created subsidiary that would oversee the commercial management of World Cup tournaments.
The initiative, first unveiled on Tuesday, had been pitched as a way to generate as much as $4.2 billion by valuing the venture at roughly $20 billion, a move that would have reshaped how the sport’s premier event is financed.
A Deal That Divided the Game
European soccer's continental authority, UEFA, swiftly moved to oppose the scheme, warning that it could trigger a boycott of its competitions and questioning the transparency of the process.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino later acknowledged that the proposal had sparked deep divisions within the organization, stating that it was no longer aligned with the federation’s broader interests.
Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, resigned shortly after the backlash, describing the plan as a "bad deal for football" and urging a more inclusive approach to governance.
Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour added that Infantino had misled staff about the project, labeling it a "project of one person" and emphasizing the need for collective decision‑making.
British political figure Andy Burnham joined the criticism, publicly labeling Infantino "the wrong man to lead the organisation" and calling for fresh leadership at the sport’s global helm.
The episode underscores the growing tension between commercial expansion and the traditional governance structures that have long governed international soccer.