UEFA blasts FIFA WC private investment proposal
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- UEFA rejected FIFA's proposed "FIFA Forward Enterprise," a $20 billion company that would run the World Cup and Club World Cup with private investors, calling it "a line that football's governing institutions should never cross" and insisting the World Cup is "not FIFA's to sell."
- Infantino unveiled the FFE proposal Tuesday; FIFA says it would raise up to $4.2 billion this year by selling minority, non-controlling interests to "long-term investors," with J.P. Morgan advising the transaction.
- Thrive Eternal, launched by Joshua Kushner — brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump — is among the reported investors in the new entity.
- FIFA's 211 member federations must approve the plan; Infantino framed it as "the democratization of football worldwide," though UEFA condemned the "zero transparency" around who gains financially.
- Infantino, 56, is up for re-election next year and could serve until 2031; The Times reported he has been lined up to run the new company as commissioner once his FIFA term expires.
- A 2018 Infantino proposal for a secretive $25 billion SoftBank-backed deal to launch new global competitions collapsed after fierce UEFA resistance that threatened the Champions League and European Championship.
Why it matters: UEFA controls the Champions League and European Championship — the revenue engines that fund its 55 member federations — and that same bloc just killed Infantino's 2018 $25 billion SoftBank plan. The Times now reports Infantino himself is slated to run the new commercial entity after his FIFA term ends, blurring the line between global football governance and personal post-career venture.
