Skip to content
Gianni Infantino's FIFA Presidency Imperiled as European Soccer Vows World Cup Boycott Over Private Equity Plan
European soccer is threatening a boycott of the World Cup over FIFA president Gianni Infantino's plans to create a $20 billion privately funded group to run the sport's biggest tournament.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has agreed amongst themselves to boycott the World Cup if Infantino's plan is pursued, according to ESPN.
UEFA immediately rejected the private equity plan when FIFA chief Infantino announced his intention to create the funding plan, and said in a statement that soccer "is not FIFA's to sell."
Coming off his huge success with the 2026 World Cup games, Infantino announced his plan to launch what he labeled the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which private individuals and companies, including the Kushner family, would fund.
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football also said they would boycott the World Cup if the funding plan moves forward.
Amid the ruckus over Infantino's plan, his top adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned his role in FIFA, saying that he had "no confidence" in the funding proposal and added that he "unequivocally" opposes it.
Cordeiro also pointed out that FIFA has $15 billion in revenue and has no debt, so a new funding scheme is unnecessary and "makes no sense."