FIFA Storm: Gianni Infantino Adds Fuel to the Fire; Ultimatum Causes a Stir, Donald Trump Remains in the Background
New revelations have emerged in *The Times* regarding a plan under which FIFA would transfer a portion of the value of the World Cup to private investors, reportedly including Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared, who is the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. Journalists at the British newspaper have in fact gathered evidence showing that Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, sent a veritable ultimatum to the 211 member associations the day after the World Cup concluded on July 19 with Spain’s victory.
In short, by September 19, individual federations must approve FIFA’s private investment plan—a $20 billion project—involving a new company controlled by FIFA but 20% owned by external investors, including Thrive Capital, Joshua Kushner’s fund. In the letter, Infantino explained that those who accept will be eligible for a funding package totaling $10 billion, while those who refuse will remain part of the Forward project, whose budget is capped at $2.7 billion.
The reaction from the soccer world to this news has been far from positive: UEFA not only reiterates its outrage at not having been consulted on the matter but also confirms the possibility of drastic measures, including the extreme but significant possibility of a World Cup boycott. Aleksander Ceferin has already convened an extraordinary meeting with his 55 member associations, but other organizations such as the English Football Association and CONCACAF, the North and Central American confederation, have also expressed concern.
The central issue is political as well as economic: the creation of an external company that would manage FIFA competitions (the World Cup, the Club World Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup, among others) is perceived as an attempt to shift the balance of power, reducing the role of the confederations and the main stakeholders in world soccer in favor of figures very close to Donald Trump, who has never hidden his appreciation for Infantino—so much so that he informally proposed him as the new UN Secretary-General.
Infantino, for his part, defends the decision as a “unique and one-of-a-kind” opportunity, but the timing and approach proposed in a letter that arrived after the public announcement—without any prior consultation—have deepened the rift. The result is a climate of institutional chaos, with FIFA moving forward and UEFA, for its part, preparing a counterattack. The battle is not just about a financial plan but about the governance of global soccer—that is, who decides, who controls, and who guides the future of the game. And the rift, already deep, risks widening.
