Macron steps into FIFA rights row as Infantino abandons investment plan

French president Emmanuel Macron has personally intervened in the dispute surrounding FIFA president Gianni Infantino, voicing his opposition to a proposal to open the commercial rights to the World Cup to private-sector investors.

According to French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Macron spoke directly to Infantino and made clear that he rejected the controversial reform. The plan had prompted widespread protests within football’s international governing bodies and ultimately led Infantino to withdraw it.

The French president also contacted Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe. During that conversation, Macron expressed his full support for the position taken by UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin, who had led opposition to the proposal.

A source close to the French government told L’Equipe: “The president of the Republic is actively involved in this matter, just as he strongly opposed the European Super League project, which particularly called into question the principles of solidarity and sporting merit.”

Macron’s direct involvement underlines the concern in Europe over attempts to bring private investment into the commercial structure of global football. FIFA is already facing increasing criticism over the transparency of its decision-making and the direction of its commercial policies.

The scheme, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, was designed to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights to a private investment fund. The deal was expected to generate billions of dollars, but it also raised fears that FIFA could lose control over the world’s most important football tournament.

The proposal became a major source of tension inside the sport’s governing institutions. Its opponents argued that transferring part of the tournament’s commercial rights to private investors could have far-reaching consequences for the way FIFA manages and develops the competition.

Macron’s position is consistent with his previous opposition to the European Super League project in 2021. That breakaway competition collapsed within days of its launch after intense pressure from supporters and politicians across Europe.

The Super League was widely viewed by its critics as a threat to the principles of fairness and sporting competition in European football. Macron’s stance at the time placed him among the political figures who publicly challenged the plans promoted by several of Europe’s leading clubs.

The latest dispute leaves Infantino in a difficult position. The FIFA president has faced growing calls for significant reforms to the organisation’s governance, as well as renewed scrutiny of the commercial strategy pursued since he became head of world football’s governing body.

The intervention by Macron, together with the opposition from UEFA and the support expressed from within African football, adds to the political pressure surrounding the abandoned rights plan. It also demonstrates that the argument over FIFA’s commercial future has moved beyond football administration and into the highest levels of government.