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Gianni Infantino has officially abandoned his controversial initiative to sell minority stakes in FIFA‘s flagship commercial rights to private equity firms following unprecedented pushback from regional confederations and national federations. However, in shelving the proposal, the FIFA president reportedly forfeits a lucrative compensation package valued at upwards of $35 million.
As initially outlined by world soccer’s governing body, the proposal centered on creating FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a corporate subsidiary designed to commercialize major competitions, with the Men’s World Cup serving as its primary economic engine. FIFA aimed to unload a 20% to 21% stake to private investors, but fierce opposition led by UEFA and CONCACAF ultimately forced Infantino to pull the plug.
In an official statement addressing the reversal, Infantino stated: “Having 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.”
While Infantino maintained that the project was structured to benefit global football development, financial watchdog groups and investigative outlets questioned those assertions. Financial analysis published by The Times revealed that the FIFA president stood to collect an estimated €30 million (approximately $35 million USD) in base pay and performance bonuses tied directly to the execution of the FIFA Forward Enterprise venture.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks about the 2026 World Cup with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
Initial documentation distributed by FIFA projected that FFE would generate up to $4.2 billion in upfront capital, claiming that all net revenues would be funneled back into global grassroots initiatives. However, the windfall allocated to Infantino under the proposal presented a stark contrast to his current FIFA presidential salary of roughly €3 million per year.
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Fresh off the heels of the 2026 World Cup, Infantino attempted to capitalize on momentum by pushing FFE alongside several new commercial vehicles to dramatically increase FIFA’s balance sheet. Instead, the disastrous rollout ahead of the 2027 FIFA presidential election in Morocco has severely eroded his political standing among key voting blocs.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) formally rescinded its endorsement of Infantino on Monday, reversing a prior commitment to support his re-election bid. “The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football. Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept,” the FAW declared in a scathing statement.
Furthermore, as reported by ESPN, the English Football Association has also distanced itself from the Swiss administrator. The FA is understood to be drafting formal correspondence to FIFA clarifying that Infantino no longer holds its support, marking a dramatic shift after English football executives previously submitted letters of endorsement for next year’s elective FIFA Congress.
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