Infantino Faces Calls to Resign After Aborted World Cup Rights Venture Disintegrates

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing mounting demands to step down following the abrupt collapse of a plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors, triggering a fierce governance crisis within world football’s governing body.

The abandoned initiative aimed to spin off commercial rights for FIFA’s flagship tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, into a commercial subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise. American venture capital firm Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, had been positioned to lead the primary investment group.

Under the planned arrangement, Infantino was slated to assume the chief executive role at the new entity, commanding an annual salary package of approximately $64 million—a significant jump from his current FIFA compensation of roughly $6 million, aligning his pay with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The fallout intensified after former Portuguese international and current UEFA adviser Luis Figo publicly urged Infantino to resign immediately. In an open letter published in the Daily Mail, Figo denounced the proposal as “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed,” stating that Infantino “has debased the office of FIFA president that he promised to elevate.”

Critics questioned the necessity of bringing in outside venture capital, noting that FIFA currently maintains $5 billion in cash reserves alongside projected revenues exceeding $11 billion for the 2023–2026 commercial cycle. “How many shares could that buy in this grubby, underhand plot? All of them! So there is no need for outside investment after all,” Figo wrote, arguing that capital should instead fund grassroots development, youth facilities, and coaching.

Infantino traveled to Rabat, Morocco, for high-level discussions with regional football officials, though key figures across several confederations have moved to distance themselves from his leadership as opposition spreads.

The rapid collapse of the privatization plan draws parallels to the failed launch of the European Super League, with exposure by news organizations dismantling the arrangement before project leaders could secure internal consensus. Asserting that Infantino has lost the backing of key administrators and continental partners, Figo concluded: “The man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future.”