Opposition to FIFA’s World Cup private equity plan grows as Asia warns of risks and Europeans meet
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- Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (46 members), told AFC federations that FIFA's private equity plan "appears to undermine the very foundations of continental football" and warned of threats to the sustainability of confederation and domestic competitions.
- UEFA scheduled an online meeting of its 55 national members Thursday to shape a resistance strategy, with options including withdrawing from playing in and hosting FIFA competitions — a threat that helped sink Infantino's 2021 push for biennial World Cups.
- The $20 billion FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) subsidiary would be 20% owned by private equity, anchored by $4.2 billion from Thrive Eternal, a New York vehicle created by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
- Infantino set a Sept. 19 deadline for FIFA's 211 member federations to accept a one-time $20 million offer, with projected funding through 2038 rising to $86 million each from about $36 million under current terms.
- CONCACAF (35 members) said it is "deeply concerned by the lack of due process" in the project revealed Tuesday, joining the global and European groups of domestic leagues in opposition.
- Infantino is due for re-election in March for a fourth and final term through 2031, but soccer officials said privately he eyes a commissioner-like role at the FFE spinoff beyond 2031.
- FIFA's expanding tournament portfolio — potentially adding teams and staging men's and women's World Cups more often than every four years — would squeeze the value, status, and calendar space for continental competitions like the Champions League.
Why it matters: Infantino's plan funnels $4.2 billion from a Kushner-linked fund into a FIFA Forward Enterprise that officials say he aims to lead as commissioner beyond his 2031 term. With 101 of FIFA's 211 members (Europe and Asia combined) now publicly opposing it, the Sept. 5 Women's Under-20 World Cup in Poland becomes the first flashpoint for a potential European boycott.
