GENEVA (AP) 鈥� FIFA President Gianni Infantino is abandoning his to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world.
Infantino鈥檚 decision came after his and Asia鈥檚 soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it.
鈥淗aving listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,鈥� Infantino said in a statement early Saturday. 鈥淥ur purpose has always been 鈥� and will always be 鈥� to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.鈥�
Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the with private investors including the Kushner family, but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday’s announcement.
UEFA鈥檚 55-member nations agreed to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions over Infantino鈥檚 plan on Thursday. North America鈥檚 CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.
鈥淪ome things are simply too important to sell,鈥� UEFA said in a statement. 鈥淭he FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.鈥�
Infantino鈥檚 senior adviser, , a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the , resigned on Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.
鈥淚 cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,鈥� Cordeiro said in a statement, just hours after FIFA insisted: 鈥淣obody is selling football.鈥�
Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the project must not continue.
鈥淚t is the project of one person,鈥� Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and European soccer body UEFA, wrote. 鈥淣ot only must this project not go ahead 鈥� but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.鈥�
Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA鈥檚 commercial businesses 鈥� including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women 鈥� into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.
The 鈥渁nchor investor,鈥� described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The next FIFA competition is the Women鈥檚 Under-20 World Cup starting Sept. 5 in Poland 鈥� which UEFA members said they would boycott.
The misstep could prove costly for Infantino, particularly after the interventions by Lamour and Cordeiro.
Reelected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, Infantino is allowed one more four-year term under FIFA statutes. The deadline for the next presidential contest is Nov. 18, exactly four months ahead of the vote in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA has its African headquarters.
Infantino’s job seemed secured despite long-term and previous attempts to force through , but could become more tenuous with the failed private equity proposal.
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AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed from Phoenix.
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