Fifa President Gianni Infantino faces mounting opposition within the global football community over his proposal to sell a stake in a newly created commercial entity that would oversee major Fifa competitions. The plan, which involves establishing a separate $20 billion company called Fifa Forward Enterprise, has sparked controversy among football associations, regional confederations, and senior Fifa officials, with critics warning it could jeopardize the sport's long-term interests.
The proposal would involve selling shares to private investors, a move that Infantino has urged the organisation’s 211 member associations to support by September 19. Infantino has also offered each member association £30 million to back the plan. However, the initiative has been met with widespread criticism and threats of boycott. Approximately 55 nations, including England, have expressed their intent to reject the proposal, citing concerns over governance and the future control of football's most prestigious events.
Tensions escalated after Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino and former Goldman Sachs banker, resigned in protest. Cordeiro criticized the plan as "mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification" and called it "a bad deal for Fifa’s member associations, a bad deal for football and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game." His departure was followed by a public denunciation of the initiative by Kevin Lamour, Fifa’s chief operating officer since 2024, who described the plan as the "project of one person" and warned that football leaders had been "deceived" by its architects.
Regional governing bodies have voiced strong objections. The Asian Football Confederation expressed solidarity with counterparts in Europe and the Americas, stating the controversy reveals "fundamental weaknesses in Fifa’s consultation and decision-making processes." Uefa criticized the handling of the process as “irresponsible and indefensible,” accusing Infantino of “governance by intimidation.” Similarly, Concacaf officials revealed during an emergency meeting that a “vast majority” of its members have either lost faith or are losing confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham publicly called for Infantino to step down, describing the proposal as "outrageous" and indicative that Infantino is "the wrong man to lead the organisation." Political scrutiny also deepened with disclosures about connections between Fifa Forward Enterprise and investors linked to the Trump family, including Joshua Kushner, brother-in-law to Jared Kushner, former senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. Congressman Jamie Raskin raised concerns about these ties, highlighting their potential impact on Fifa’s independence.
Despite the backlash, Fifa has insisted that "nobody is selling football" and plans to move forward with the proposal. Infantino, who has presided over a significant increase in Fifa’s revenues since becoming president in 2016, is scheduled to seek a fourth term in office next March. The controversy surrounding the stake sale has led some observers, including former Uefa chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson, to suggest that Infantino’s position may be vulnerable and that new leadership could be necessary for the sport’s future. Among those mentioned as potential successors is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain.