{"id":5841,"date":"2026-07-31T22:09:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T22:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5841"},"modified":"2026-07-31T22:09:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T22:09:38","slug":"exclusive-fifa-has-scrapped-20b-world-cup-sell-off-plan-following-european-boycott-global-outrage-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5841","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | FIFA has scrapped $20B World Cup sell-off plan following European boycott, global outrage: sources"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FIFA\u2019s controversial plan to sell a piece of its business empire to outside investors has collapsed following an open revolt by soccer officials worldwide \u2014 and a major rift among top FIFA executives, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Read more Jeanine Pirro seeks to drop charges against Olympian David Hearn, admits reflecting pool damage was \u2018flawed installation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA had aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling a roughly 20 percent stake in the group, valuing the new arm at $20 billion. The deal, which involved a firm run by New York venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, is dead, four sources familiar with the matter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not the feeling\u00a0this. There is no way they want to continue to be involved\u00a0in this mess,\u201d said a source briefed on the collapsed deal. \u201cKushner will figure\u00a0out another way to get involved\u00a0in this space. This is becoming a brand nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, the White House diplomatic adviser and son-in-law of Donald Trump<\/p>\n

The unraveling caps a brutal week for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who pushed the plan to spin off FIFA\u2019s commercial rights into a new for-profit arm that drew howls of protest across Europe and a slew of overwhelmingly negative media coverage.<\/p>\n

The failed proposal called for FIFA, a nonprofit under Swiss law, to transfer its cash-making assets \u2014 TV rights, sponsor deals, licensing, and ticketing \u2014 into a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise.<\/p>\n

Kushner\u2019s firm, Thrive Capital, was set to anchor the deal, with JPMorgan advising.<\/p>\n

Infantino gave FIFA\u2019s 211 member nations until Sept. 19 to back the deal, dangling payouts of up to $40 million each. Critics called it a bribe with a deadline.<\/p>\n

But FIFA and its bankers badly misread the mood in Europe, where the sport\u2019s richest clubs and leagues bring in most of the game\u2019s revenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would be the (temporary) end of global football,\u201d one insider close to Infantino said.<\/p>\n

UEFA\u2019s threat was blunt: None of its teams would play in any FIFA event until the plan was scrapped in full \u2014 and until FIFA promised never again to open the game to private owners.<\/p>\n

Without stars from England, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy, a World Cup loses its audience. Broadcasters won\u2019t pay top dollar, and sponsors will pull their cash.<\/p>\n

That gutted the deal\u2019s value.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tested the waters and have a clear response,\u201d one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, close to Infantino told The Post.<\/p>\n

Thrive has already begun talks about dropping the idea, three sources said. JPMorgan does not expect the deal to go through, according the insiders. closing their files.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t believe Kushner will stay the course,\u201d said one person directly briefed on the matter. \u201cThey are pulling the plug.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Spain claims 25,000 African migrants already sent home as authorities expel 150 people per minute<\/a><\/p>\n

Even as the deal collapsed behind the scenes, FIFA publicly insisted Friday that \u201cnobody is selling football.<\/p>\n

With outside money off the table, FIFA will keep selling its own rights in-house, pointing to its money-spinning haul from this summer\u2019s 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.<\/p>\n

One source close to the ill-fated deal said the Zurich-based organization could try way of \u201cformalizing and using their assets in a commercial way\u201d through its existing non-profit entity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they are trying to professionalize some of aspects of world football,\u201d the person briefed on the matter said.<\/p>\n

The deal\u2019s death sends a clear message to private equity firms circling global sports: Soccer\u2019s political walls remain high.<\/p>\n

The debacle now threatens Infantino\u2019s grip on the presidency.<\/p>\n

European soccer chiefs threatened to boycott the World Cup and other events. Members of FIFA\u2019s North American bloc, Concacaf, rejected the plan. On Friday, the Asian Football Confederation joined the opposition.<\/p>\n

The backlash also reached Infantino\u2019s inner circle.<\/p>\n

FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour told The Associated Press on Friday that senior staff felt \u201cdeceived\u201d by Infantino\u2019s lack of transparency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project that has sparked so much controversy and debate is not a FIFA project,\u201d Lamour said. \u201cIt is the project of one person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lamour blasted a \u201clie by omission over many months,\u201d adding that the ordeal showed \u201ca lack of trust, a lack of transparency, a lack of discernment, a lack of good governance. And a serious lack of respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

He acknowledged his outspokenness could lead to his firing.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThen so be it,\u201d he said. \u201cAt least I\u2019ll sleep well tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also on Friday, Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino\u2019s senior adviser and a former Goldman Sachs partner, resigned over the proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,\u201d Cordeiro said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Many member nations view the fight as a vote of confidence ahead of March\u2019s presidential election.<\/p>\n

UEFA is quietly hunting for a challenger, with Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi drawing strong backing. At least 20 nations are reportedly discussing pulling their letters of support for Infantino.<\/p>\n

Lamour, the FIFA executive, all but urged them on, saying \u201cthe time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump is facing a major Iran war hurdle \u2014 this time on the homefront<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FIFA\u2019s $20 billion plan to sell a stake in its commercial rights to Joshua Kushner\u2019s firm has collapsed after threats of a European World Cup boycott.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | FIFA has scrapped $20B World Cup sell-off plan following European boycott, global outrage: sources - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5841\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | FIFA has scrapped $20B World Cup sell-off plan following European boycott, global outrage: sources - 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