Gianni Infantino scraps plan to sell World Cup stakes

sportsAug 1, 202629812

FIFA president Gianni Infantino withdrew a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors after intense opposition from federations and officials. FIFA said it will not proceed with the proposed equity sale that would have created a commercial vehicle for the tournaments, a reversal announced days after Infantino first floated the idea. FIFA chief operating officer Philippe Lamour said staff had been deceived over the proposal and several members of Infantino’s team resigned in protest. UEFA publicly condemned the proposal and threatened boycotts, CONCACAF formally rejected the sale, and the Asian confederation backed UEFA’s opposition. The U-turn has left Infantino’s leadership under heavy scrutiny, with commentators and some political figures calling for his resignation or a vote of no confidence. FIFA’s decision halts the immediate push to privatize tournament commercial operations and leaves governance questions about future reforms unresolved.

Andy Brown

@andybrown1951.bsky.social

The Infant Tino's attempt to steal money from world football have resulted in his utter humiliation. It couldn't happen to a more deserving person and could not be better for football. He must go. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

4213h ago

patrickcan1.bsky.social3

FIFA and the IOC have been the butt of coruption jokes as long as I can remember. I'm 64.

Peter #FBPE2

He’ll try to find another way. It’s the Trump method. The world is being run by crooks.

A smøl pan-dimensional gnu (David)2

Trump will probably nominate him as Secretary of State for Soccer or something…

Pacheco-Torgal2

Swiss precision at its finest: take the world’s game, slice it into private equity shares, and call the robbery “investment.” Infantino did not want to govern football; he wanted to turn it into a Swiss vault with goalposts.

Mrs Victoria2

I never thought I’d say this but Sepp Blatter was actually the lesser of the two evils…..

Chuck W knows Kamala won…2

I do not trust FIFAntino, nor any project linked with the Trump and Kushner clans…

Quoting this

Amy Kroczkowsky 🇺🇦2

Football is not his to sell. Sack him and prosecute him.

Henry Mance

@henrymance.ft.com

Burnham, season 4 - step down as PM and challenge for Fifa pres www.ft.com/content/613c...

6922h ago

Noah Barkin

@noahbarkin.bsky.social

Hopefully this episode marks the beginning of the end of Infantino’s reign at FIFA www.ft.com/content/5840...

544h ago

The Analyst

@militaryanalyst.bsky.social

way on earth this didn’t come up during the World Cup and the fat fingered fraud found a way to make some extra money. Well it backfired spectacularly I’m glad to say and Gianni Infantino must be an idiot if he thought it would work. FIFA has always been tainted with corruption is it any wonder the

534h ago

David Higham

@oldtrotter.bsky.social

Now this is someone who knows how to do politics. Andy Burnham says Gianni Infantino is ‘wrong man’ to lead Fifa after stake-sale plan - www.ft.com/content/613c... via @FT

3718h ago

Paul Bernal6

Yes, you can’t imagine Starmer doing that for several days…

Lisa 🇨🇦

@pinkmouse.bsky.social

This is very good news indeed. Infantino can suck it. "FIFA and Gianni Infantino have performed a dramatic U-turn on his plot to sell a stake in its commercial and event operations after widespread condemnation of the plans." #InfantinoIsCorrupt #NotEverythingIsForSale #FIFA #Blues

213h ago

hokusai 🌊🌊🌊6

INFANTINO clearly thought he had enough sway on the FIFA BOARD (since he installed all his cronies) to get this one through without any issue it's good that they pulled this one back - but FIFA need to appoint a new PRESIDENT to lead them INFANTINO is corrupt AF #blues

D4rkh4wk1

Now they should scrap Infantino.

Travelling Canuck (part owner of Canada) 🍁 🇨🇦1

How much has he actually signed away with Kushner???

Terry Sedgwick 🦘 T.S. un ami.1

Gianni ruled Infantinoffside. Goal cancelled.

12 Spoons 🇺🇦1

Scrapped or delayed. Infantino should still go

Sachin Nakrani

@sachinnakrani.bsky.social

A week that began with a ridiculous Instagram rant and ended with a grand plan to become even more rich and make global football even more rotten sink to the point of collapse. Well done, Gianni, you’ve had a blinder. Now seriously, go do one. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

233h ago

Sachin Nakrani11

… he won’t actually quit, I’m convinced of it. Only way he’s leaving Zurich is with his cold dead hands clutching a bag of a cash.

RTÉ News

@news.rte.ie

FIFA "will not proceed" with plans to sell stakes in a company which would run the commercial and operational aspects of its competitions, according to a statement from the organisation’s president Gianni Infantino

213h ago

Quoting this

Paul M 🤠8

Even so, everyone should still use this rare unity and momentum to shove this corrupt cunt right out the door.

Cian O'Ruaidh2

And a Happy Saturday to you all too! 😃 Now, this fella needs to cut his losses and walk.

Nancy Thompson

@thmpsnnancy.bsky.social

Nearly All of Europe Vow to Boycott World Cup Over Plan for Kushner Family Sale truthout.org/articles/nea...

14Yesterday

Impiety

@noholyscripture.bsky.social

Football is not for sale! UEFA reacted furiously to FIFA plan to seek private investment in competitions including World Cup; FIFA insists it would retain sole control over governance & sporting decisions; Andy Burnham says: "Football belongs to the fans" 👏👏👏 www.skysports.com/football/new...

16Yesterday

AFP News Agency

@en.afp.com

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he scrapped a plan to allow private investment in the World Cup following fierce backlash from football officials worldwide. ➡️https://u.afp.com/SrvX

113h ago

Mr RobertBob

@mrrobertbob.bsky.social

Infantino should have gone with that ridiculous peace prize he gave Trump. www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...

112h ago

David Dubas-Fisher

@dubasfisher.bsky.social

"attributable to the FIFA President" kind of makes it sound like there's been a coup overnight.

43h ago

DCapTO

@dcapto.bsky.social

Now imagine what the entire WORKFORCE could push back on if we organized. We have power to withhold labour. The powers-that-be only respond to the language of $$$ ✊🛠️ Alt text: Portrait of FIFA President Infantino talking, headline: BREAKING: FIFA to abandon World Cup stake sale plan, Infantino says

59h ago

Yardie Ball

@yardieball.bsky.social

This applies to men's and women's European teams, which means that as of this moment European teams are boycotting the upcoming U20 Women's World Cup in September and the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.

4Yesterday

Quoting this

Sophie Lawson9

U-17 World Cups are annual, U-20 are biennial and of course, senior tournaments happen every four years, meaning, after a 1,2,3 finish in 2023, UEFA very well could be absent next year. World Cups, regardless of men's or women's are special for players, some only get to dream about playing in one...

Yardie Ball2

In UEFA's own words, the boycott is in effect "for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership."

3 sources

aljazeera.comFIFA COO Lamour says staff deceived over Infantino's World Cup plan france24.comFIFA President Gianni Infantino scraps controversial World Cup investment plan bbc.co.ukWill Fifa president Gianni Infantino lose his job? If so, who comes in?

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Gianni Infantino scraps plan to sell World Cup stakes

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