{
  "id": 17178,
  "title": "UEFA 'rebuilding trust' after FIFA scraps World Cup sell-out plans",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/uefa-rebuilding-trust-after-fifa-scraps-world-cup-sell-out-plans",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-07-31T23:46:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW News",
    "slug": "dw-news",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/uefa-rebuilding-trust-after-fifa-scraps-world-cup-sell-out-plans/a-78198144?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "FIFA's President Gianni Infantino has canceled his plan to sell shares in FIFA competitions to private investors, following widespread criticism from the global football community. European football's governing body, UEFA, applauded the decision, describing it as a \"victory for the whole game.\" In a statement, Infantino acknowledged that the project had fostered divisions that were detrimental to the objectives set forth. UEFA expressed disappointment, stating that the task of restoring trust in FIFA had only just begun. The European body criticized Infantino for his secretive approach and called for responsible parties to unite and prevent such occurrences in the future. UEFA's members unanimously boycotted all FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, until the plan was withdrawn. Infantino's proposal would have established a commercial subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise, responsible for managing competitions like the World Cup, including revenue from broadcasting, sponsorship, tickets, and hospitality. The proposed investors included Thrive Eternal, a fund managed by Thrive Capital, which was founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law. Infantino, who faced scrutiny for his close relationship with the US president, had proposed the measure by September 19, offering $40 million to associations that backed the plan. Opposition to Infantino's plans intensified, leading to the resignation of his senior advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, and a harsh rebuke from FIFA's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, who referred to the proposal as a \"project of one person who had deceived FIFA staff.\"",
  "summary": "Europe's governing body, UEFA has called Gianni Infantino's decision to abandon his plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private equity investors a \"victory for the whole game.\"",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 11,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ERR News Estonia",
        "title": "Estonian FA boss on FIFA privatization plan: The sport should be for football people",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/estonian-fa-boss-on-fifa-privatization-plan-the-sport-should-be-for",
        "published": "2026-07-31T11:40:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Fast Company",
        "title": "FIFA World Cup private investment plan explained: Why teams are vowing to boycott the controversial scheme",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/fifa-world-cup-private-investment-plan-explained-why-teams-are-vowing",
        "published": "2026-07-31T19:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Vox",
        "title": "Everyone hates FIFA’s plan to sell the World Cup to private equity",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/everyone-hates-fifas-plan-to-sell-the-world-cup-to-private-equity",
        "published": "2026-07-31T21:10:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MercoPress",
        "title": "Three confederations reject selling part of the World Cup to private funds; Conmebol asks for explanations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/three-confederations-reject-selling-part-of-the-world-cup-to-private",
        "published": "2026-07-31T22:05:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "FIFA scraps private investment plan after backlash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/fifa-scraps-private-investment-plan-after-backlash",
        "published": "2026-08-01T05:30:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "FIFA bins controversial private investment plan after backlash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/fifa-bins-controversial-private-investment-plan-after-backlash",
        "published": "2026-08-01T06:14:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Business",
        "title": "Faisal Islam: Four reasons why Fifa's World Cup plan never stacked up",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/faisal-islam-four-reasons-why-fifas-world-cup-plan-never-stacked-up",
        "published": "2026-08-01T12:41:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "UEFA, CONCACAF target Infantino after FIFA shelves World Cup private investment plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/uefa-concacaf-target-infantino-after-fifa-shelves-world-cup-private",
        "published": "2026-08-01T16:19:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Time",
        "title": "FIFA’s Infantino Scraps World Cup Investment Plan. But Is It Too Little, Too Late?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/fifas-infantino-scraps-world-cup-investment-plan-but-is-it-too-little",
        "published": "2026-08-01T18:08:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "FIFA reverses course on World Cup private investment plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/fifa-reverses-course-on-world-cup-private-investment-plan",
        "published": "2026-08-02T00:59:33.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}