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When FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveiled his $20 billion private equity scheme last week to create and sell stakes in the World Cup, he was immediately met with widespread global backlash.
The 55 member associations of UEFA, European soccer's governing body, quickly and publicly agreed to boycott all future editions of FIFA international tournaments if the plan proceeded, declaring simply, "the World Cup is not for sale."
Meanwhile, Concacaf, the governing body for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, firmly rejected the proposal, citing its "deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies."
The Asian Football Confederation then declared that it "stood in solidarity" with UEFA and Concacaf and that "football should never have been placed in such a position." The three confederations alone represent 136 of FIFA's 211 total member associations.
Infantino initially responded to the widespread criticism with an ultimatum, which only intensified the pressure on him. The 56-year-old Swiss executive, amid all the turmoil, ultimately scrapped the entire project, announcing the reversal on Friday night. The World Cup's "For Sale" sign has been taken down and Infantino's reputation was not expected to recover, though the reaction has not been entirely negative.
First Support for Infantino Emerges
While UEFA has been open about losing faith in Infantino and hinting at the exit door, one nation stepped forward to pledge its support for the FIFA president.
"We welcome FIFA President Gianni Infantino's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal in the interest of the global football community," President of the Qatar Football Association, H.E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, said in a statement Saturday. "While the proposal had merit, we applaud the wisdom behind prioritizing unity among Member Associations.
"The Qatar Football Association fully supports President Infantino's efforts to continue growing and strengthening the game globally."
Notably, Paris Saint-Germain president and Qatari national Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been identified by several European soccer leaders as a credible rival to Infantino for the FIFA presidential seat in next March's election. He also serves as chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, the government-backed shareholding organization.
Qatar was the first to publicly endorse Infantino, but not the last. The association presidents of Djibouti and Lebanon both issued statements offering their continued backing for the incumbent, who was praised for pulling the World Cup plan just hours after doubling down on it. "The president of the Lebanese Football Association believes that the proposal could be re-examined by the relevant parties at FIFA and by the football community in a way that serves the greater good of the sport and preserves its unity," a statement read.
Plenty of Opposition Still Remains
While the response wasn't entirely negative for Infantino, the momentum is clearly moving in one direction. Claudius Schäfer, the head of Europe's professional soccer leagues, told Swiss publication SonntagsZeitung that the FIFA president's time was running out.
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"When I saw how this whole thing unfolded and that FIFA's key bodies weren't involved, then there's essentially only one consequence in any company or association," Schäfer concluded. When pressed on whether this consequence meant Infantino's position would become untenable, Schäfer agreed: "This is usually the consequence when someone in a company pushes such a business deal forward without anyone knowing about it."
"It's solely about the financial advantages; everything else is completely ignored," the executive continued. "Nobody knew about the plans, not even the FIFA Council, the governing body of FIFA. I was very surprised that the president was acting entirely alone in this matter."