The World Cup may be over, but the stench of FIFA corruption remains. That’s little surprise, given the antics of FIFA President Gianni Infantino before and during the World Cup. He sought to ingratiate himself with President Donald Trump, and he’s now continuing his efforts to sully the sport of soccer by putting it all up for sale.
In an announcement that seems to have surprised many of its 211 member federations, FIFA declared on Tuesday that it will be creating a private company called FIFA Forward Enterprise, valued at $20 billion, to run the World Cup and other competitions. Private investors would be able to buy stakes in that for-profit company.
What investors, you’re wondering? FIFA is working with J.P. Morgan, one of its top investors is expected to be a group called Thrive Eternal, which was founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Naturally, reports say that figures close to the Trump administration have been consulted on the plan. As if Infantino were going to do this deal without making sure the big man approves and his family gets a taste.
Somehow, per Infantino, selling off pieces of FIFA is about helping the sport, and selling it to rich investors is “about the democratization of football worldwide.” You’re also supposed to trust Infantino and FIFA when they say that hey, these outside investors will totally not influence things and “will not play any operational role”
Yes, Infantino has shown himself to be very strong in standing up against any interference in operations, what with having invented the “FIFA Peace Prize” so that Trump could feel like a special boy. Infantino also helpfully reversed a red card on U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun so that he could play in the round of 16 after Trump had demanded it
Infantino tried a similar privatization thing in 2018, engineering a secret deal where SoftBank, apparently backed by Saudi money, would create new global soccer tournaments. It fell through after UEFA, the European soccer governing body, pushed back.
UEFA has already come out swinging against this latest privatization attempt, saying in a statement, “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.”
In case you were, for even one minute, buying the whole “goodness of the sport” line from Infantino, know that he reportedly wants to become chair of FFE once he leaves FIFA, which would reportedly net him tens of millions of dollars. Insiders told the Times of London that the salary for the commissioner of the new company would be similar to that of the NFL, where the commissioner rakes in around $64 million per year, which is about 10 times as much as Infantino currently makes at FIFA.
In the world of billionaires, everything is for sale. That might be the reality on the ground, but no one has to join Infantino in pretending that it’s for the good of everyone else.
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