Infantino Shelves FIFA Stake Sale After UEFA Revolt
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- Infantino shelved his plan to spin off a FIFA commercial subsidiary and sell a 20% stake to private investors on Friday night after backlash from UEFA, Concacaf, and Asia.
- UEFA threatened to withdraw its 55 member nations from all FIFA competitions, while FIFA COO Kevin Lamour and senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest.
- Thrive Capital (Josh Kushner) reportedly valued FIFA at $20 billion in a no-tender deal carrying a September 19 member-approval deadline.
- FIFA entered the fight sitting on roughly $2.7 billion in cash reserves, having just delivered the most financially successful World Cup in history.
- UEFA argued in a statement that external investor ownership would make "commercial return a permanent obligation" and "change football forever."
Why it matters: Infantino pushed a $20 billion no-tender valuation through with a hard September 19 deadline, despite FIFA already holding $2.7 billion in reserves and fresh off its most lucrative World Cup ever. With his own COO and senior adviser resigning in protest and three confederations in open revolt, the political bill from this near-miss could outlast Infantino's presidency — his position now hangs over an election only months away.
