Fifa president Gianni Infantino has abandoned his proposal for private investment in the organisation’s tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, after it became clear the plan had lost the support needed to pass.
Infantino, 55 [sic: 56], said the project had “created divisions” that were “no longer in the interest” of its original objective, adding: “As a result, this proposal will not proceed.” He had offered all 211 member associations $40m (£30m) each in exchange for backing the investment plan, but opposition quickly mounted across multiple confederations.
Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned over the matter, describing the proposal as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future”. His departure followed Concacaf — which governs football in North, Central America and the Caribbean — announcing its members had “rejected” the plan, with sources saying the vast majority of associations from the region had lost or were losing faith in Infantino. The Asian Football Confederation then declared it stood in “solidarity” with Uefa and Concacaf, while UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Infantino “the wrong man” to lead Fifa.
The arithmetic quickly turned against the proposal. Infantino required 106 of Fifa’s 211 member associations to vote in favour. With Uefa holding 55 votes, Concacaf 35, and the AFC 46, a united front from those three bodies alone would have produced 136 votes against the plan — well above the threshold needed to block it. The governing bodies in Africa and Oceania had said they would discuss Fifa’s plan in August, meaning the outcome of their deliberations remained open.
Infantino, 56, now faces significant pressure as he seeks re-election to a fourth term as Fifa president at the Congress in March. He said he intends to “bring all interested parties back together” in the “spirit of shared interest” in football.
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
