FIFA says it's not moving forward with controversial World Cup sell-off plan

FIFA says it's not moving forward with controversial World Cup sell-off plan
FIFA will not be moving forward with a controversial proposal to sell stakes in future competitions to private investors.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday that the international soccer governing body would not be moving forward with a controversial proposal to sell stakes in future competitions to private investors.
"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," Infantino said in a statement.
"Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed," the statement continued.
The update comes after the proposal was met with boycotts and a resignation by Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro.
"Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally," Cordeiro said in a statement posted on his official LinkedIn account earlier Friday. "It is 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 resignation came after UEFA's 55 member associations in Europe voted on Thursday to boycott the World Cup if FIFA continues with the plan.
UEFA made its opposition very clear in a statement, stating "the World Cup is not for sale."
In a statement Thursday, FIFA said "erroneous reporting" on the matter had disrupted the planned consultation process, saying the process would continue to "ensure that each [member association] has the ability to express its vote based on facts."
"Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain," FIFA added.
U.S. Soccer, which is a member of CONCACAF, said in a post on X Thursday that it was standing with the confederation and its members in opposition to FIFA's plan.
In a statement July 28 announcing its plan, FIFA said investors would be selected against "clear long-term, governance, and strategic criteria" and they would "represent a geographically diversified group that reflects the global nature of the game."
FIFA said the process would be achieved through a new subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would consolidate its commercial and event operations.
On Friday, in his statement announcing the proposal would not move forward, FIFA's president said he plans to "bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support."