Gianni Infantino sends a friendly warning to England and other countries amid World Cup boycott talks.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has sent a strong message to England and other countries about what might happen if they don’t support his plan to sell parts of the World Cup’s commercial rights.
This is one of the most talked-about stories lately. Infantino wants to sell minority shares in a new FIFA company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which will handle the commercial rights for future World Cups. This new company could be worth around £15 billion. An American investment firm called Thrive Eternal, started by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead this process.
Since the news came out, Infantino and FIFA have faced a lot of criticism. UEFA, the European football body, released a strong statement saying FIFA has “crossed the line” and urged everyone to take this seriously.
Infantino is now pushing even harder, offering FIFA’s 211 member associations, including the English FA, up to $40 million (£30.1m) each if they agree to the plan before a new deadline. He told them they have 53 days to say yes, or their future funding will be cut.
If the plan is turned down, the money FIFA gives to member associations will drop from $10 billion (£7.5bn) to $2.7 billion (£2bn).
In a letter to all members, Infantino said: “It’s my duty as FIFA president to share this big opportunity with you. If you agree, a $10 billion package will be available from January 1, 2027. If not, we’ll still offer $2.7 billion as planned. Each member could get up to $40 million under this proposal.”
There’s talk that UEFA will hold an emergency virtual meeting on July 30 to discuss opposition to the plan. It’s not clear how all the associations feel yet, but some might even consider boycotting if it goes ahead.
The English FA has said they are “deeply concerned” about the proposal but will wait for full details before commenting further. A spokeswoman said they had no real information about the plan or its conditions and were unhappy about how it was presented. They promised to share their views once FIFA releases the full details.
The Welsh and Irish FAs also said they won’t comment fully until they see the full proposal.