FIFA suspends World Cup rights venture after Infantino plan sparks backlash

FIFA has abandoned a controversial proposal to sell part of the commercial rights to the World Cup after the plan faced widespread opposition from football’s governing bodies and senior officials.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the proposed agreement would not go ahead, saying the project had created division and no longer served its original purpose.

“After carefully listening to all points of view, it became clear that the project had caused division, which, regardless of the level of support, no longer serves the initial objective,” Infantino said in a statement obtained by Sky News.

“Our objective has always been – and will always remain – to unite and progress. Therefore, this proposal will not be implemented.”

FIFA confirmed earlier this week that Infantino was seeking to establish a subsidiary valued at more than €17bn (£14.7bn). The company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, was intended to sell 20% of the rights to the World Cup for about €3.65bn (£3.16bn).

Infantino had given FIFA’s 211 member associations until 19 September to approve the agreement. Under the proposed arrangement, each member association would have been promised about €35m (£30.3m), while those opposing the plan would have received €8.7m (£7.5m).

Critics had already described the proposal as “pure corruption”.

The plan encountered significant resistance across international football. Uefa was among those to oppose the project and threatened to boycott the World Cup, as well as all other FIFA competitions, if the proposal went ahead.

Concacaf, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also rejected the plans. Their opposition meant that a broad majority of FIFA members were against the proposal.

Several prominent figures within football’s world governing body also spoke out against the arrangement, increasing the pressure on Infantino to withdraw it.

The FIFA president said the project had been dropped because of that opposition and indicated that he would now seek discussions with all relevant stakeholders.

“My intention is to bring together again all the relevant stakeholders in the coming days and weeks, driven by a shared passion for our sport, in order to continue developing football everywhere, and particularly in the countries that most need our support.”

The decision brings to an end the immediate attempt to create FIFA Forward Enterprise and secure the proposed sale of part of the World Cup’s rights. The scheme had been presented alongside a promise of substantial financial distributions to FIFA’s member associations, but the scale of the opposition prevented it from progressing.

Infantino’s decision follows a period in which the proposed commercial structure had become a source of tension between FIFA and several of the organisations involved in international football. The FIFA president now intends to reopen dialogue rather than implement the proposal, with the stated aim of maintaining unity and supporting the development of the game, especially in countries most dependent on financial assistance.