US President Donald Trump has jumped to the defence of his close ally and embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino , warning the world football governing body against replacing him and calling any such move a “terrible mistake”.
Key Factors
The plan included the possibility of selling around 20% of the company to private investors. After FIFA had originally set September 19 as the deadline for member associations to accept the plan, UEFA held a virtual meeting with its 55 members, with European football threatening a boycott of the World Cup if the proposal remained in place. Infantino has come under immense pressure after his controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial arm of the men’s World Cup to private investors collapsed amid opposition from three confederations. The proposal centred on the creation of Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company that would oversee the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA’s tournaments. The strongest opposition to Infantino’s proposal came from UEFA.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf, which oversees football in the Caribbean, North America and Central America, also criticised FIFA’s handling of the proposal, with both bodies accusing Infantino of “deception”.
