Infantino apologises but gives 'no answers' over World Cup stake sale plan

FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave “no satisfactory answers” when questioned on Thursday about his attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, senior members of football’s governing body said, though he did apologise for the failed project.

“We asked a great many critical questions, but there were no satisfactory answers from my point of view,” said Bernd Neuendorf, head of the German Football Association and a member of the FIFA Council, after the council met behind closed doors at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, The Express Tribune reported, citing AFP.

The failed plan

Infantino announced in late July that he wanted to open FIFA’s premium competitions, such as the World Cup, to private investors through the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project. The plan was abandoned after a rebellion led by European body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF.

“I apologised for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project,” Infantino said in a video published by FIFA.

“But what is important to remember is that it was a proposal, so in no way a done deal, just a proposal, that actually intended to enable FIFA to invest more in our member associations.” He said the initiative “has been permanently withdrawn and will not reappear in any form”.

“Not fit to be FIFA president”

Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English Football Association and a FIFA vice-president, said Infantino was “not fit to be FIFA president” unless he released all documents on the plan and answered key questions.

“One of the disappointing things was we didn’t get answers. We didn’t get answers to anything we had specifically requested, for example getting the papers from FFE,” she said. “I have no new information that makes me feel any differently to how I felt when I went in, other than we do have a president of FIFA who is apologetic about what has happened, and secondly a promise again that we will get the information that we have requested.”

Election ahead

• Re-election bid: Infantino, FIFA president since 2016, is running again next March despite calls to stand down
• No rival yet: no heavyweight candidate has come forward
• Lost support: many leading European associations have withdrawn their backing over the FFE plan and other controversies

Those controversies include his relationship with US President Donald Trump: Infantino created a FIFA Peace Prize and awarded it to Trump at last December’s World Cup draw, and suspended a ban on US striker Folarin Balogun after a World Cup red card following a direct phone call from Trump.

Development fund

FIFA confirmed plans for a $6.35 billion development fund for the next four years, to be finalised at the council’s December meeting. It would draw partly on reserves built up after a commercially successful 2026 World Cup and distribute money to FIFA’s 211 member federations and the regional confederations.

Why it matters

For federations like Pakistan’s, FIFA’s development money matters more than its boardroom battles. But the row over Infantino’s plan and his closeness to Trump has split world football just months before he seeks another term. Read our report on the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune and AFP.