Gianni Infantino
FIFA President Gianni Infantino acknowledged that the initiative not only failed to unite the soccer community but also caused a serious rift.
“Our goal has always been, and will always be, to unite and develop. For this reason, this project will not be implemented,” Infantino said.
This refers to the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, which was unveiled in late July. The plan called for the creation of a separate commercial company that would manage revenue from the World Cup, the Club World Cup, and other FIFA tournaments. The plan was to offer investors minority stakes in the new entity, while FIFA would retain full control over the organization of the competitions.
The organization expected FFE to be valued at $20 billion, with the sale of shares expected to raise up to $4.2 billion. The funds were intended to increase financial support for all 211 national soccer associations.
However, the idea sparked a fierce backlash.
UEFA was the first to oppose it. The European confederation, together with 55 national federations, stated that the World Cup must not be turned into an investment asset. Moreover, European national teams threatened to withdraw from FIFA tournaments if the project was not permanently scrapped.
CONCACAF, which unites the countries of North and Central America and the Caribbean, also joined in the criticism. The confederation demanded greater transparency in the governance of world soccer.
The scandal quickly went beyond external criticism. One of Infantino’s closest advisors, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned, stating that FIFA does not need to sell its commercial assets. According to him, the organization has multibillion-dollar reserves and is capable of independently financing the development of soccer.
Unexpectedly, FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour also spoke out against the initiative. He called the project a “one-man initiative” and urged the organization’s leadership to reconsider its approach to decision-making.
As a result, less than two weeks after the presentation, the project was completely shelved.
For Gianni Infantino, this marked one of the most serious political setbacks of his tenure as FIFA president. International media outlets note that the incident has intensified pressure on the organization’s president and once again raised questions about the transparency of global soccer governance.
