Premier League chief says FIFA has pressed self-destruct button over World Cup sell-off plan
Richard Masters calls for a new leader to unite the game after Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors sparked a global crisis.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is fighting for his political survival after his secret plan to sell a minority stake in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors provoked a furious backlash from the sport's most powerful bodies, forcing him to abandon the scheme. The crisis has left world football in a state of civil war, with European, Asian and North American confederations demanding his resignation and the Premier League's chief executive adding his voice to the criticism.
The plan and the backlash
Infantino proposed creating a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to manage the commercial rights for the World Cup, the Women's World Cup and the Club World Cup. He then sought to sell around 20% of that company to private investors, with a group led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, reported to be the lead bidder. FIFA said the move would raise billions of pounds to invest in global football development, and offered each of its 211 member associations a £30 million incentive to back the plan by a 19 September deadline.
But the proposal was met with immediate condemnation. UEFA, European football's governing body, called an emergency meeting of its 55 members and declared that the World Cup is not for sale. It threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions if the plan went ahead, a stance quickly backed by the Football Association, the Scottish FA and other European federations. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also voiced strong opposition. Within days, three of FIFA's six confederations had publicly rejected the plan.
A rapid collapse
Infantino's senior advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned, calling the proposal a bad deal for football that would mortgage the game's future. FIFA's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamore, accused Infantino of deceiving colleagues and treating them with contempt. Under mounting pressure, Infantino released a statement on Saturday saying he had listened to the views and that the project had created divisions. "As a result, this proposal will not proceed," he said.
But the climbdown failed to satisfy his critics. UEFA said it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership and described the plan as a "shabby backroom opaque deal". The English and Welsh FAs officially withdrew their support for his re-election, and the European body threatened legal action. Three confederations later issued a joint open letter accusing Infantino of a "profound failure of judgment" and a "breach of trust".
Infantino fights back
Infantino has not stepped down. He called a crisis meeting of senior FIFA executives in Morocco, where he received the backing of his management board and issued an apology for the way the proposal was handled. He then travelled to Colombia to attend the inauguration of the country's new president, and has received public support from the African Football Confederation and from Donald Trump. The US president posted on Truth Social that replacing Infantino would be a "terrible mistake".
Meanwhile, fresh allegations emerged in the Daily Telegraph that UEFA paid a six-figure severance to a woman with whom Infantino was allegedly having an affair while he was UEFA's general secretary. Infantino strongly denies the claims, and FIFA has denounced what it calls a "concerted and ongoing effort to undermine" the organisation and its president. The organisation said it would challenge reporting it considers inaccurate or misleading.
Premier League chief speaks out
On the eve of the new Premier League season, chief executive Richard Masters told the BBC that FIFA had "pressed the self-destruct button" and that a new, unifying candidate was needed to lead the world game. He said the FA was right to withdraw its support for Infantino and that the plan to sell a stake in the World Cup was a bad idea. "It's a problem of FIFA's making, this is a self-inflicted wound," he said. Masters also expressed concern about further expansion of the World Cup, warning that it would erode the domestic calendar and put more strain on players.
With the deadline for potential challengers to Infantino's re-election bid set for 18 November, and the first UEFA boycott threat to be tested at the Women's Under-20 World Cup in September, the crisis shows no sign of abating.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC News at Six | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All 55 UEFA member nations agreed to back a World Cup boycott if FIFA sells a stake to private investors. | · | ||||||||
| The English FA prepared to withdraw its backing for FIFA President Infantino's re-election, following Wales which was the first to drop support, amid reports that Infantino had 200 letters of support before the controversy but now faces opposition from UEFA and CONCACAF countries. | · | · | |||||||
| The first test of the boycott could be the Women's World Cup playoffs in October. | · | · | |||||||
| Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead the investment round. | · | · | |||||||
| Carlos Cordeiro resigned in opposition to the plan. | · | · | · | ||||||
| FIFA proposed selling a minority stake in World Cup commercial rights via a new private company called FIFA Forward Enterprise. | · | · | · | ||||||
| FIFA's chief operating officer spoke out against the plan. | · | · | · | ||||||
| Infantino told FIFA's in-house media that the plan was not mandatory. | · | · | · | ||||||
| The Daily Telegraph reported that UEFA made a six-figure payment to a woman alleged to have had an affair with Infantino during his time as UEFA's general secretary. | · | · | · | ||||||
| The Football Association expressed deep concern and said it was unaware of the proposal. | · | · | · | ||||||
| UEFA lost confidence in FIFA leadership under Gianni Infantino. | · | · | · | ||||||
| UEFA stated that the plan crosses a line and that football is not FIFA's to sell. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West provided the most comprehensive coverage of the story, repeatedly reporting on the timeline, the threats of boycott, the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, the internal dissent at FIFA, and the Premier League chief's criticism. The channel maintained a neutral, factual tone, often using its sports correspondents to explain the implications. It also included the latest allegations about Infantino's personal life, but kept the focus on the governance crisis.
- “It's a problem of FIFA's making this is a self-inflicted wound. They are the people the organization has pressed the self-destruct button”
- “I think it's a bad idea and the FA have taken the right position with regards to Gianni”
- “The man who until recently enjoyed so much support is now suddenly seeing it fade away”
Sky News focused on the breaking news aspects, often with exclusive interviews and internal documents. It broke the story of the FIFA secretary-general's internal email calling the plan a 'sad and reproachable series of events' and later obtained exclusive statements from Infantino. Sky also highlighted the political dimension, including the links to Donald Trump's family and the threat of a UEFA boycott. Its coverage was more dramatic in tone, emphasising the 'civil war' in football.
- “There is now a concerted effort in European football to remove Gianni Infantino from power at FIFA”
- “This is a sad and reproachable series of events which were thankfully concluded with the FIFA Forward project permanently abandoned”
- “FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if for any reason they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino”
ITV1's coverage focused on the growing pressure on Infantino, particularly from UEFA and the English FA. It reported on the joint letter from three confederations and the sacking of Kevin Lamore. ITV also gave airtime to the Premier League chief's comments and the 'civil war' narrative. The tone was analytical, with sports editor Steve Scott providing context. ITV also covered the allegations about Infantino's personal life, but treated them as a separate development.
- “When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with that authority, the duty has been abandoned”
- “It's a problem of FIFA's making, this is a self-inflicted wound”
- “The shabby backroom opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent”
Channel 5 (5 News) focused on the boycott threat and the practical implications for fans and players. It reported on UEFA's emergency meeting and the decision to boycott if the plan went ahead. The coverage also included the reaction from fans and former players, and later the withdrawal of support from the English FA. The tone was more populist, asking whether the World Cup as we know it could end.
- “Could we have just watched our final World Cup?”
- “The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies”
- “The English FA have said that they are about to do the same thing”
GB News covered the story with a focus on the political angle, particularly the links between Infantino and Donald Trump, and the involvement of the Kushner family. The channel also featured discussions with former England manager Sam Allardyce and other commentators. The tone was more opinionated, questioning the moral implications of selling the World Cup and the role of private investors.
- “It feels a feel of cronyism, nepotism. It sort of stinks, frankly”
- “This goes to the very heart of whether FIFA run football or FIFA own football on the global stage”
- “The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product”
BBC TWO's Newsnight provided an in-depth interview with UEFA vice president Laura McAllister, who explained the reasoning behind the boycott threat and the unity of European nations. The programme focused on the existential threat to the game and the need for a line in the sand. The tone was serious and analytical, with a strong emphasis on governance and democratic processes.
- “The World Cup is not for sale”
- “It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret”
- “This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football”
Channel 4 News focused on the wider implications of the crisis, including the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro and the internal opposition at FIFA. The channel also interviewed former Lioness Leanne Sanderson to get a player's perspective, particularly on the impact on the women's game. The tone was critical of Infantino, highlighting the 'profound abuse of presidential power'.
- “I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup”
- “This is a bad deal for FIFA's member associations, a bad deal for football and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game”
- “The idea that proper governance is not to disclose to your closest advisors... that's fatal, should be fatal”
BBC News (the rolling channel) provided continuous updates, breaking the story of the plan's scrapping and later the fallout. It gave extensive coverage to the joint letter from three confederations and the Premier League chief's criticism. The tone was neutral and factual, with correspondents providing analysis. BBC News also covered the allegations about Infantino's personal life, but kept the focus on the governance crisis.
- “Having listened carefully to all the views, it's 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”
- “The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence, but also that of many other members of the football family”
- “The Premier League chief executive has criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino's plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup saying the organization has delivered a self-inflicted wound”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.