Trump-linked investor Joshua Kushner to lead FIFA commercial venture

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is moving to sell a 20% stake in a new commercial venture designed to manage the organization's competition rights, a move he frames as democratizing global football. Leading this initiative is Joshua Kushner, a 41-year-old investor and businessman with ties to Donald Trump. Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital, which manages substantial assets and has backed tech giants like Instagram and OpenAI, is tasked with establishing FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

Kushner's role involves attracting international sovereign wealth funds to acquire a minority stake in the FFE. This new entity would consolidate media rights, sponsorships, ticketing, and licensing, separating them from FIFA's non-profit structure, mirroring a model used in Formula 1. Kushner's personal wealth, estimated at over $5.2 billion by Forbes, positions him as a significant player in this financial undertaking.

The move has sparked controversy, with the Democratic Party investigating the deal as a potential "fraud scheme." Kushner, described as the "liberal" member of his prominent family, is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, a former senior advisor to Donald Trump. While his family has strong Republican connections, Joshua co-founded Oscar Health, an insurance company operating under the Affordable Care Act. This initiative by FIFA and Kushner is poised to reshape the financial landscape of global football, attracting both investment and political scrutiny.