What to Watch For
UEFA’s emergency meeting is set to take place on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported citing a statement from French sports minister Marina Ferrari. “Faced with a project that could profoundly transform our sport, it is essential that European stakeholders speak with a single voice,” Ferrari said. The European confederation is reportedly considering using the threat of a boycott of FIFA events, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup. Tensions between UEFA and FIFA have been high in recent weeks—UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final over multiple issues, Reuters reported, including FIFA’s decision to suspend U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card earlier in the tournament. In a statement released later on Wednesday morning, UEFA said it had conversations with “stakeholders across the game,” and insisted there was “significant and growing opposition to FIFA’s scheme.” The organization said it was aware of FIFA’s September deadline, and the prospect of member associations losing the $20 million payment “says everything you need to know about this plan.”
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.
Chief Critics
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.” Hours after UEFA expressed outrage over the proposed deal, CONCACAF, the confederation governing soccer in the Americas, said it was also only informed about the deal through media reports and was “deeply concerned by the lack of due process.” The confederation said it felt “disappointment” since the deal was presented without any discussions with the other soccer governing bodies. The Asian Football Confederation put out a similar statement, saying it was “not consulted” on the deal and was not given the “opportunity to examine and discuss it through the appropriate and established governance channels.” On Wednesday, the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England, similarly said it was “completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is, and what conditions are attached.” The English organization said it was “deeply concerned” about the lack of information and transparency, but would comment further after details about the deal are made clear. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also weighed in against the proposed deal, insisting “football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.” The prime minister said the World Cup was not a “product” and instead “belongs to the fans.”
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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.