FIFA has officially withdrawn its controversial proposal to sell a minority stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup to private investors following widespread opposition from football confederations and stakeholders across the globe.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the decision on Friday, acknowledging that the proposal had become too divisive despite attracting support from some quarters.
According to Infantino, the decision to abandon the plan was made after extensive consultations with football stakeholders.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he said.
The proposal sought to raise billions of dollars by selling a minority stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup through a new commercial structure designed to attract private investment.
However, the plan sparked strong opposition from several continental football governing bodies, including UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf, which argued that the World Cup should remain under the full control of the global football community.
Critics warned that allowing private investors to acquire an interest in football’s flagship tournament could undermine the competition’s independence, governance and long-term integrity.
The growing resistance prompted FIFA to reconsider the proposal, ultimately deciding to abandon the plan in the interest of preserving unity within the global football family.
The withdrawal brings to an end weeks of controversy surrounding the proposed investment model and reaffirms FIFA’s commitment to maintaining the World Cup as a competition owned and managed exclusively by world football’s governing body.
