Gianni Infantino suspends his controversial investment plan.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said he has suspended a plan to include small investors in all FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups, after it sparked a global backlash.
Infantino said that it was clear that the project had caused what he called divisions among members, and that he had no interest in causing divisions within FIFA.
Infantino's decision follows the resignation of his former senior advisor on global strategies and governance, Carlos Cordeiro.
Carlos Cordeiro, resigned, saying that Gianni Infantino's project is inappropriate and will damage the future of football.
Gianni Infantino wanted all 211 members to support the project and each football association to receive the funds worth $40 million, which is about 60 billion Rwandan francs.
Most FIFA members didn’t support the project, because on Thursday this week, all 55 members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) voted that if the project goes ahead, they will be withdrawn from the World Cup.
Such a decision was supported by members of the Confederation of North and Central American Football Associations (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) planned to discuss the project this August, but CAF president Patrice Motsepe had signaled his support for Gianni Infantino's plans.
Members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) were also due to discuss the project in August, while the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has asked FIFA for more details on the project.
It seems that Gianni Infantino is having a hard time winning the trust of FIFA members as he seeks a fourth term as FIFA president, as not only some football federation leaders are not supportive of him, but also some politicians on the European continent have shown signs of criticizing him. For example, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that Infantino is not the right person to continue leading FIFA.
The FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place in March 2027, in Morocco, where the FIFA Congress will be held.
It is reported that in the elections, Gianni Infantino may face the Qatari businessman and also the French club Paris Saint-Germain’s CEO, Nasser al-Khelaifi.
