GIANNI INFANTINO has broken his silence after his controversial plans to sell the World Cup threatened to plunge global football into civil war.
The Fifa president’s sensational plan to sell off parts of the World Cup to the highest bidder was revealed on Tuesday and was met with fierce backlash from all directions.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has broken his silence on plans to sell stakes in the World Cup Credit: Getty
He insisted it was not an obligation for countries to approve the move Credit: Reuters
And despite the threats of a boycott from Uefa and major footballing nations, Infantino has doubled-down on his stance – which it is claimed would create a £20billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and other Fifa competitions by offering stakes of up to 20 per cent to external investors.
Infantino, 56, provided an update in a video shared by Fifa on Wednesday, rather than taking questions from the media.
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He said: “It’s part of a democratic process, a consultation process and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation, and, as I said, it kicks off the consultation process.”
The Swiss insisted that Fifa’s 211 members would have the final say on the plan.
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Critics blasted Fifa for trying to “enrich themselves and their friends”, as football‘s regional bodies including The FA said they had been blindsided by the move.
Even some of Fifa’s eight vice-presidents were left in the dark over the plan, which could raise as much as £7.5bn according to Infantino.
He continued: “FIFA obviously continues to govern football without any external interference.
“And the flagship tournament it organises, like the FIFA World Cup or the FIFA Women’s World Cup, will always remain.”
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In a five-page letter to members outlining the merits of the proposal, Infantino said positive responses before the 19 September deadline would see £15m made available as soon as January.
He has insisted the proposal to set up what will be known as Fifa Forward Enterprise will unlock new commercial opportunities and give rise to the next Cape Verdes, one of four nations to make their debuts at the 2026 World Cup following its expansion to 48 teams.
One of the proposed investors has already been identified as Thrive Eternal, conveniently a fund run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump‘s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, following Infantino’s close ties with the US President before and during the World Cup.
Uefa said the deadline being just 53 days away “says everything you need to know about this plan”.
