British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Sunday that FIFA President Gianni Infantino is not the right leader for world soccer, deepening the fallout from an abandoned plan to sell stakes in World Cup competitions to private investors.
“I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” Burnham said, calling the proposal offensive to football people around the world and saying it could not simply be forgotten.
Burnham’s comments came a day after UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership, a statement that could open the door to a challenge against Infantino’s presidency. CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer, said FIFA leadership had stopped putting football first.
What We Know So Far
Infantino withdrew the proposal after opposition mounted from three of football’s regional confederations. UEFA’s 55 member nations voted Thursday to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the plan proceeded, and CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation both announced their opposition the same day.
The plan would have created a commercial subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise to run FIFA’s major tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, with outside investors allowed to buy minority stakes. A document prepared by JP Morgan for FIFA projected the plan would raise member association payouts to an estimated 24 million euros per cycle between 2035 and 2039, though it made no mention of the women’s game. FIFA had indicated the American venture capital firm Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump son in law Jared Kushner, was expected to lead the investor group.
The Asian Football Confederation said in a statement that any proposal risking the unity of the World Cup needed to be reconsidered, adding that FIFA’s failure to consult member associations had exposed weaknesses in its decision making process. FIFA’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned shortly afterward, writing that the plan amounted to a bad deal for football and would mortgage the sport’s future. FIFA’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, also left amid the fallout, reportedly describing the plan as the work of one person.
Infantino confirmed the plan’s withdrawal in a statement, saying it had become clear the proposal had created divisions that no longer served football’s shared purpose.
What Authorities Are Saying
UEFA described the abandoned proposal as a secretive, back room deal and said current FIFA leadership had lost the confidence of much of the football world. The confederation said no option should be off the table as it works with other confederations to prevent a similar plan from emerging again.
Not every confederation has taken as hard a line. Rogers Byamukama of the Ugandan Football Federation said nations that depend on FIFA funding for infrastructure and grassroots programs have reason to consider any plan that could bring in additional resources, noting that wealthier European associations are less reliant on FIFA support than federations elsewhere.
The governing bodies for South American, African and Oceania soccer have yet to take a formal position, with the African and Oceania confederations expected to discuss the plan in August.
Why This Matters
The controversy exposes a widening rift between FIFA’s leadership and its most powerful regional confederations, with UEFA and CONCACAF both threatening boycotts that would have made the World Cup impossible to stage without European and North American participation. FIFA’s one nation, one vote structure means Infantino could theoretically have secured support from smaller federations, some of which remain reliant on FIFA funding and have stayed publicly supportive, including Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup.
The episode also reflects growing scrutiny of Infantino’s closeness to American political figures, given the investment plan’s ties to a fund founded by a Trump family relation. That association has fueled broader criticism of decisions made during his tenure, including disciplinary rulings affecting high profile players and ticket pricing for this year’s World Cup.
FIFA has already expanded the men’s World Cup to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament and is now examining a further expansion to 64 teams for 2030, with an independent agency expected to submit proposals in early August and a FIFA decision expected shortly after.
Editorial commentary from The Independent argued that Infantino’s handling of the investment plan will likely define the final chapter of his presidency, contrasting his early reform minded reputation, including expanded attention to the women’s game and grassroots development in Africa, with a more recent drift toward closer ties with wealth and political influence. The editorial contended that Infantino misjudged the willingness of UEFA and CONCACAF to accept a deal negotiated without their full involvement, and suggested his standing within FIFA’s council may still allow him to avoid immediate removal despite the breadth of opposition.
This assessment reflects the newspaper’s own editorial judgment rather than reported fact, and other outlets have not independently verified claims about Infantino’s broader motivations.
What Happens Next
FIFA’s next presidential election is scheduled for March in Rabat, Morocco, with the deadline for candidates to enter the race set for November 18, four months ahead of the vote. UEFA has said it intends to work with other confederations on a broader governance review in the coming weeks, though no timeline has been set for concluding that process.
Whether Infantino faces a formal internal challenge before the March election remains unclear, and his ability to retain support will likely depend on how federations in Africa, South America and Oceania respond once they formally weigh in on the plan later this year.
Reporting drawn from the Associated Press, Goal.com, the BBC and Newswave, citing statements from Andy Burnham, UEFA, CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation, Carlos Cordeiro and Gianni Infantino. Commentary referenced from an editorial published by The Independent.
