Fifa president Gianni Infantino has abandoned a disputed plan to offer private investors stakes in the organisation’s competitions after facing strong resistance from football’s governing bodies.
Plan withdrawn after opposition
- Infantino said the proposal had caused divisions and was no longer serving the purpose for which it had been developed.
- He confirmed that the investment plan would therefore not go ahead.
- Under the proposal, Fifa’s 211 member associations would have received $40m (£30m) if they supported private backing for competitions including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
- Uefa, European football’s governing body, had threatened to boycott the World Cup if the plan was approved. Other governing organisations also publicly opposed the idea.
- On Friday, Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said the organisation’s administration had been misled over the project.
- Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser for global strategy and governance, resigned in response. He described the proposal as a poor agreement for football that would place the sport’s future under financial strain.
- Concacaf, the body responsible for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean and the host confederation for this summer’s World Cup, then said its members had rejected the plan. Sources also indicated that a large majority of associations in the region had either lost, or were losing, confidence in Infantino.
- The Asian Football Confederation declared its solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf, while UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Infantino was the wrong person to head Fifa.
The dispute leaves Infantino facing intense pressure as he campaigns for a fourth term in office at the Fifa Congress in March.
