Gianni Infantino’s Connections
FIFA president Gianni Infantino could play a major role in the new deal, the Times reported on Tuesday. Infantino is up for reelection as president next year, but is term-limited after 2031. Sources told the British newspaper Infantino could serve as a “commissioner” or chief executive of the new company after his final term, although the FIFA president later told the paper the idea “has never been discussed.” FIFA’s own statement did not elaborate on Infantino’s role in the future company. Infantino has been heavily criticized for his cozy relationship with President Donald Trump, whom he gave the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” to last December. FIFA reportedly consulted with the Trump administration on the plans, two sources told the Times. However, Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and older brother of the Thrive Capital founder, is not one of the investors lined up.
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Chief Critic
The deal is highly controversial among soccer fans, analysts and other governing bodies for the sport. “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” UEFA, soccer’s governing body in Europe, said in a response to the reporting in the Times. “UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game. The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
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Big Number
$15 billion. That’s how much FIFA made in revenue from the 2026 World Cup, according to the organization. It was a significantly higher haul compared to the estimated $7.57 billion made during the 2022 World Cup cycle. In a speech earlier this year, Infantino promised to “unleash the commercial potential and opportunity that FIFA has”—a comment the nonprofit has repeatedly pointed to in announcing the plans for the new venture.
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