Now Reading: FIFA chief Infantino faces global revolt over stake sale plan
-
01
FIFA chief Infantino faces global revolt over stake sale plan
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing an unprecedented leadership crisis after abandoning a plan to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup's commercial rights for $4.2 billion. The proposal, which offered…
The Story in Brief
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing an unprecedented leadership crisis after abandoning a plan to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup's commercial rights for $4.2 billion. The proposal, which offered $20 million grants to member associations, sparked a global revolt from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF, who accused Infantino of poor governance and a lack of consultation. New Zealand has withdrawn support for his re-election, calling for an independent review of the aborted deal. However, six Arab federations, including Qatar and Morocco, have publicly backed Infantino. The AFC is itself divided: Qatar has challenged the confederation's authority to speak for all its 47 members in the attack on Infantino.
The Indian Opinion
The revolt against Infantino is less about governance and more about who gets a say in FIFA's billions. The Asian federation's open letter against him was quickly contradicted by Qatar, a key AFC member. This exposes the cartel-like nature of football politics: powerful federations will back Infantino as long as their own projects are funded. The real test will be whether the 'independent review' that New Zealand and others demand actually names the officials who approved the secret Thrive Capital deal, or if it becomes a face-saving exercise.
Sources (3): deccanherald.com, deccanherald.com (2), sportstar.thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
