FIFA President Gianni Infantino has abandoned plans to sell minority stakes in the governing body’s flagship competitions following widespread opposition from football associations across the world.
Announcing the decision on Friday, Infantino said the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project had become divisive and would no longer proceed, despite its original aim of generating additional funding to strengthen football development, particularly in countries most in need of support.
In a statement posted on FIFA Media’s X account, Infantino said the proposal had always been contingent on broad backing from FIFA’s 211 member associations and extensive consultation with the FIFA Council, continental confederations and other 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,” he said.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
He added that FIFA would engage with stakeholders in the coming weeks to explore alternative ways of supporting football’s global growth, particularly in developing nations.
The decision follows a wave of opposition from football’s continental governing bodies. UEFA’s 55 member associations had voted on Thursday to boycott FIFA World Cups should the proposal be implemented.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also rejected the plan, effectively leaving Infantino without the support needed to secure approval. Combined, the three confederations account for 136 of FIFA’s 211 member associations.
CONCACAF said its members had rejected the proposal, while reports indicated that many associations within the region had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership over the issue.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) had planned to discuss the proposal later this month, while South America’s governing body, CONMEBOL, requested further information on the scope, governance and potential implications of the project before taking a position.
The proposal sought to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise as a commercial subsidiary responsible for managing the organisation’s major competitions, including the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups. External investors would have been permitted to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in the new entity.
Under the plan, FIFA offered each of its 211 member associations up to 40 million dollars (£30 million) in financial support if they endorsed the proposal, with an initial payment of 20 million dollars (£15 million) available to associations that accepted the plan before a 19 September deadline.
A 25-page presentation prepared by investment bank JP Morgan projected that expanding FIFA’s commercial operations could increase distributions to member associations by an estimated €24 million (£20.5 million) during the 2035–2039 funding cycle. The document described the FIFA World Cup as the world’s most widely watched sporting event while arguing that FIFA remained “under-monetised”. It also outlined plans for new commercial initiatives and performance-based executive compensation but made no reference to the women’s game.
FIFA had identified American venture capital firm Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, as the expected lead investor in the proposed enterprise.
The project also triggered internal criticism within FIFA. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said the organisation’s administration had been “deceived” over aspects of the proposal, while Senior Adviser on Global Strategy and Governance Carlos Cordeiro resigned, describing the initiative as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future”.
Speaking on Friday, United States President Donald Trump said he had not discussed the proposal with Infantino, despite the close relationship the two have developed since Trump returned to office in 2025.
Infantino, who was elected FIFA President in 2016 after defeating Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, is expected to seek another term at FIFA’s 77th Congress in Morocco next March. Candidates have until 18 November to declare their intention to contest the election.
Before the controversy surrounding the investment proposal, Infantino had been widely expected to secure re-election unopposed. Whether this week’s events will affect support for his leadership remains uncertain.
