Infantino's FIFA future in jeopardy after private equity gamble backfires

FIFA President Gianni Infantino's ambition to secure private equity funding for the organization has backfired spectacularly, leaving his leadership in jeopardy. A proposal to create a commercial entity for the World Cup and other tournaments, selling a 20% stake to private investors, faced a fierce backlash and has been abandoned.

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A week ago, Infantino's riding high and was almost certain to get elected overwhelmingly because he's run against such a financially successful tournament. That's all in jeopardy now.

Europe's football confederation, UEFA, led the charge against the plan, announcing a boycott of all FIFA events until the proposal was withdrawn. The concession came after three days of intense internal conflict within the sport's global governing body. The plan was seen as Infantino's signature initiative, and its demise so soon after a highly successful World Cup has weakened his position.

Economist Victor Matheson noted that Infantino, who was widely expected to win re-election unopposed for a fourth term in March, now faces an uncertain future. "A week ago, Infantino's riding high and was almost certain to get elected overwhelmingly because he's run against such a financially successful tournament," Matheson told Reuters. "That's all in jeopardy now."

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A bad deal for football

Adding to Infantino's woes, senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest, calling the deal "a bad deal for football." FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour alleged that staff had been "deceived" by Infantino, describing the proposal as a "project of one person." Infantino, who took over FIFA in 2016 following a corruption scandal, has a history of controversial leadership, but his financial successes had previously allowed him to weather storms. This latest gamble, however, failed to build consensus and has significantly damaged his authority.

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project of one person