Fifa president Gianni Infantino has ditched a controversial plan to sell stakes in the governing body’s competitions to private investors following widespread opposition.
It had become clear the project had “created divisions” that were “no longer in the interest” of what it had set out to achieve, said Infantino.
“Therefore this proposal is not going forward,” the Swiss official added.
BBC had reported that Infantino had offered $40m (£30m) to Fifa’s 211 member associations if they supported plans for private investment in its tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
Uefa, the governing body of European football, voted to boycott World Cups if the plans went ahead, and other governing bodies also expressed their opposition.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve,” the 56-year-old added in a statement.
“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game.”
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa expresssed satisfaction with the withdrawal.
“The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game,” he said.
The final straw was the resignation of the chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour who termed the plan “the project of one person,” and urged “the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”
This statement comes after a third confederation has expressed their disapproval for the plans, an advisor to Infantino resigns from his post, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham describes the Swiss president as “the wrong man” to head the governing body.
Trump Denies Involvement
United States President Donald Trump said he never discussed with Gianni Infantino regarding the controversial plan of FIFA of selling shares in the new company for operating World Cup.
The organization plans to establish the company known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to run its events, where the most controversial part of the plan involves the selling of 20% share of the company to some private investors.
During the cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump was asked by the reporter about his discussion with the president of FIFA, per Skysports.
“No, I never spoke to him,” Trump told reporters.
