FIFA 'self-destructed' over World Cup sell-off, says Masters
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- Richard Masters told BBC Sport FIFA has "pressed the self-destruct button" with a "self-inflicted wound," criticising president Gianni Infantino's abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan to sell 21% of a new company managing commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions including the World Cups.
- UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation signed an open letter accusing FIFA and Infantino of breaking trust "through deception," while the confederations of Africa, South America and Oceania backed Infantino at a senior-executives meeting in Morocco.
- Infantino retains support from those three confederations and faces no confirmed challenger ahead of his March re-election bid, though the English FA, Premier League and others have withdrawn backing.
- The English Football Association is one of multiple organisations withdrawing support for Infantino, with Masters calling for a "unity candidate" by the 18 November deadline—though no one has come forward.
- Donald Trump asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match red card ban at the World Cup; it was then suspended for a year, prompting Masters to ask why FIFA lacks a clear red card review process comparable to the Premier League's.
- Chelsea received a £10m fine and suspended two-window registration ban for £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents between 2009 and 2022, while Manchester City still await a ruling on 100+ alleged financial breaches more than 18 months after a hearing.
Why it matters: The English FA's withdrawal of Infantino support, backed by the Premier League, narrows his coalition ahead of a March re-election, with three of six FIFA confederations now publicly opposing him. The £10m Chelsea fine for historic agent-payment breaches contrasts with unresolved 100+ charges against Manchester City, exposing the Premier League's uneven treatment of financial rule cases depending on whether breaches are self-reported.
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