FIFA wanted to sell World Cup. The football world said no

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to sell a stake in the World Cup has now been shelved after strong resistance from across the football world ensured the proposal would not go ahead.

The original plan was to create a subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage the World Cup and FIFA's other competitions. FIFA aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling around a 20 per cent stake in the new entity.

As expected, the proposal was met with stiff resistance. European football's governing body, UEFA, threatened to boycott FIFA competitions and accused the world governing body of putting the sport's "soul" up for sale.

The backlash began almost immediately after FIFA unveiled the proposal on Tuesday. FIFA even went a step further. Infantino wrote to member associations, saying each would receive $40 million if they approved the proposal by September 19.

However, opposition to the plan snowballed over the course of the week.

On Thursday, UEFA's 55 member associations voted unanimously to boycott all FIFA tournaments unless the proposal was withdrawn, saying the World Cup "cannot be treated as an investment product."

CONCACAF, the 41-member confederation representing North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal during a meeting on Thursday.

On Friday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which has 47 member associations, issued a statement saying it "stands in solidarity" with UEFA and CONCACAF.

Together, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC account for 143 of FIFA's 211 member associations. Since the proposal required majority approval, the opposition of these confederations effectively sealed its fate.

Disagreement also emerged from within FIFA itself. On Friday, Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned with immediate effect, calling the proposal "a bad deal for football." FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour also criticised the plan, saying staff had been "deceived" by Infantino and describing it as "the project of one person."

The growing backlash ultimately forced Infantino and FIFA to change their stance. "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."

FIFA had argued that selling a minority stake in its commercial operations would generate billions of dollars to fund football development worldwide, while accusing the media of mischaracterising the proposal.

Thrive Eternal, a fund managed by Thrive Capital and founded by Joshua Kushner, had been expected to lead the proposed investor group, according to FIFA. Joshua Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law.

Trump and Infantino have developed a close relationship, with the United States serving as a co-host of the 2026 World Cup. However, Trump said he had not discussed the external investment proposal with Infantino.

The developments could now prove politically damaging for Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year. North American football chief Victor Montagliani is reportedly considering challenging him for the presidency.

(With Reuters inputs)