Gianni Infantino is facing a revolt from European football authorities after unveiling plans to sell a stake in FIFA to private investors. The proposed deal could trigger an unprecedented boycott of the World Cup by UEFA nations.
UEFA member associations will convene an emergency virtual summit this week to coordinate their resistance. The meeting comes after FIFA confirmed its president intends to launch a commercial subsidiary valued at twenty billion dollars and offload more than a fifth of the new entity to external backers.
Shock Announcement Catches Football World Off Guard
The Football Association had no prior knowledge of the scheme before FIFA’s hastily arranged announcement on Tuesday.
European football’s governing body had already been voicing concerns about rumours it had been hearing when FIFA finally went public with the full scope of the proposal.
The strategy was not mentioned during meetings with football associations in New York on the eve of the World Cup final.
UEFA’s fury at Infantino’s management style has intensified following the manner in which these plans emerged.
UEFA Delivers Scathing Rebuke To FIFA Leadership
European football’s governing body issued a blistering statement condemning the move.
UEFA said: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously.
So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.
The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
The statement signals a dramatic escalation in tensions between Zurich and Nyon.
European nations are now prepared to deploy the ultimate sanction of boycotting the World Cup if Infantino refuses to abandon the privatisation push.
Trump Connections Cast Shadow Over Investment Deal
FIFA has engaged JPMorgan as an adviser on the transaction, but deeper political ties are raising eyebrows across the continent.
The lead investor group is proposed to be Thrive Eternal, whose chief executive is Josh Kushner.
His brother Jared is Donald Trump’s son-in-law, adding a layer of political intrigue to an already contentious proposal.
Sky News previously revealed how Infantino promoted plans for a FIFA cryptocurrency coin during a visit to a private event hosted by the Trump family’s venture, World Liberty Financial.
Infantino defended the sell-off by claiming it would generate more cash for member associations to invest in football development.
From 2027 to 2030, associations would receive twenty million dollars rather than eight million for infrastructure, coaching, national teams, competitions and grassroots programmes.
Infantino said: “Our next stage of growth needs a structure built for it, one where the commercial side of the game operates as a focused, dedicated business, with its value shared more and better all around the world.
Every FIFA Member Association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future, deciding for itself rather than relying on others. This is about the democratisation of football worldwide.”
British Politicians Join Chorus Of Opposition
The British prime minister took to social media to declare that football belongs to the fans, not investors.
Andy Burnham added: “The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”
FIFA declined to comment on the bonuses Infantino could pocket for advancing the twenty billion dollar plans.
His salary last year hit six million dollars, with nearly half coming from a bonus that jumped thirty-three per cent after delivering the first expanded Club World Cup in the United States.
Infantino Eyes Lucrative Post Presidency Role
Current term restrictions mean he would have to step down as FIFA president in 2031 if re-elected next year.
He first took office in 2016 following the scandal that ended Sepp Blatter’s reign.
Sources suggest Infantino could transition into a more lucrative position overseeing the World Cup if the spin-off wins approval.
UEFA’s resistance faces a structural hurdle, as it represents fifty-five member associations while FIFA needs only a majority of the two hundred and eleven national bodies.
Many smaller federations outside Europe depend heavily on funding from the global body and lack the financial independence of their continental counterparts.
Yet FIFA relies on European teams for the commercial success and prestige of the World Cup, with Spain currently holding both the men’s and women’s titles.
This dependence gives European nations significant leverage to threaten withdrawal as a means of blocking Infantino’s ambitions.
Infantino has previously backed down when faced with unified European opposition.
In 2021, FIFA abandoned a proposal to stage the World Cup every two years after UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin warned that European nations would refuse to participate.
Relations between the two leaders have deteriorated sharply since then.
Last month, UEFA accused FIFA of undermining the integrity of football by lifting the immediate suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun following direct appeals from President Trump.
Ceferin then boycotted the World Cup final, despite having attended the opening match.
Earlier in 2025, UEFA slammed Infantino for prioritising private political interests when he arrived late for his own FIFA Congress to join Trump’s Gulf tour.
The coming days will determine whether European football’s governing body can once again force Infantino into retreat, or whether the FIFA president will gamble on pushing through the most radical restructuring of international football governance in modern history.