From 'Greatest' to Collapse: How Infantino's Attempt to Sell World Football Failed
Infantino's secret plan promised tens of millions of dollars to small associations but sparked widespread outrage. Now, amid a wave of resignations and loss of trust, FIFA is already naming candidates to replace him.
Gianni Infantino is an educated man. The FIFA president speaks seven languages and presumably remembers from his studies the stories of Greek mythology, and above all the story of Icarus. Daedalus, the genius inventor of the labyrinth in Crete, was imprisoned in it along with his son. Before executing his plan to build wings held together by beeswax and fly out, he warned his son: do not fly too high, beware of the heat of the sun lest it melt the wax. Icarus forgot, flew high, and plummeted to his death.
Just over two weeks ago, Infantino, the Swiss president of FIFA, was on top of the world. Together with US President Donald Trump, he presented the World Cup to Rodri, the captain of the Spanish national team, which defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final.
Infantino did not stop boasting about the World Cup that had just ended, calling it "the greatest of all time." In many respects he was also right: 48 teams, 104 matches, and above all revenues of about 15 billion dollars, much more than ever before.
Infantino felt invincible. He enjoyed the support of his "good friend" Donald Trump, the leader of the world's greatest power, and was sure he would remain in his seat in the upcoming elections in March, thanks to the guaranteed votes of the continents of Asia and Africa.
It was the right time, he was convinced, to set out with a megalomaniacal project: selling 20 percent of FIFA's shares to a private investment fund, a move that would inject tens of billions of dollars into the international association. The project was planned in advance, including an agreement with the partner fund, the one belonging to Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law. Not by chance, of course.
The smug Infantino knew that UEFA would oppose, but was not afraid: the European association has only 55 votes out of the 211 countries that are members of FIFA, and approval of the decision requires a simple majority, 106 votes. His calculation was simple: Africa has 54 votes, Asia 47, South America 10, a total of 111 votes. Bingo.
Why would all these countries support the project? Simple: Infantino promised that with its approval, each country would receive 20 million dollars as early as January, and in the coming years tens of millions more would be injected.
In FIFA, there is no difference between China, with its 1.4 billion residents, and Montserrat, a tiny island in the Caribbean where 4,330 people live. Their votes are equal. And according to the plan, the Montserrat Football Association, whose national stadium has 1,000 seats, was also supposed to receive 20 million dollars. And so were Anguilla, the Cook Islands, the Virgin Islands, San Marino, and Gibraltar.
Where would the money end up? No need for a developed imagination. Many third-world countries do not submit orderly reports at all on the use of FIFA funds. This is the method known as "legal bribery." It has been working for years and ensures the FIFA president remains in his position even when he does not meet the standards expected of him.
But this time it was different. Infantino did not imagine that the 55 countries of UEFA would take an unprecedented step. Two days after he approved the project, which was published the day before in the Financial Times and The Times, the European association announced: we will boycott all FIFA tournaments until the proposal is cancelled.
It is clear to everyone that there is no World Cup without Spain, England, France, and Germany. Infantino and the sponsors also understand this. And yet he was sure that UEFA would fold. After all, the majority is in his hands. When Asia also announced its opposition, that was the end. Within hours, FIFA announced that the project was shelved, "in light of the fact that it created disputes and division that do not serve the purpose."
Infantino climbed down from the tree quickly. But if he thought that the story ended there, he made a bitter mistake.
The collapse of the project also led to his personal collapse. Calling him a "lame duck" is a compliment. It turns out that the man elected in 2016 to clean FIFA of the corruption of his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, is no less corrupt than him. If not more.
Gianni Infantino grew up in a hard-pressed immigrant family that arrived from Italy to Switzerland. He discovered the pleasures of life only when he became a senior official at UEFA, and later the president of FIFA. Beyond a salary of 6 million dollars a year, he travels in a private jet he received as a gift from the ruler of Qatar. In recent years, he connected with Trump, became a regular in the White House and at international conferences not necessarily related to football.
Journalist Martin Ziegler from The Times claims that quite a few events at the World Cup, such as the water breaks, ticket prices, the long halftime in the final match, and even the cancellation of the red card for US national team striker Folarin Balogun, were a kind of presentation for investors.
Infantino, as the great dictator of FIFA, showed the American investors that he is capable of bending the rules as he wishes. That he will take care to turn football into a show that will suit advertisers, television networks, and the American audience. To anyone who wants to profit from the game.
He only forgot one thing: FIFA is an organization whose purpose is not to profit. It is currently sitting on reserves of 5 billion dollars, even before the summaries of the 2026 World Cup. The purpose of FIFA is to organize world football and, no less, to preserve its legacy and pass it on intact to future generations.
Infantino betrayed his position for the sake of greed. Apparently, also on a personal level.
Martin Ziegler wrote: "Even after the World Cup started, only a small group of insiders were exposed to the secret plan, but Infantino began to reveal what was on his mind. 'After 2031 we will be able to earn a serious amount of money here,' he told one of the insiders, referring to the date when he expected his term to end. When asked jokingly if a salary of 6 million dollars a year is enough, he answered: 'No, I am talking about a serious amount'."
According to the plan, Infantino was supposed to head from 2031 the "FIFA Forward Enterprises," the management company for the funds from Josh Kushner's private fund. How much was he supposed to earn? It is no secret that he envied Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL league, who earns 64 million dollars a year.
The anger towards Infantino is enormous. UEFA announced that it has lost confidence in him, and the goal is to replace him quickly, even before the elections in 8 months. The support for him is shrinking. And if he expected a kind word or assistance from "friend" Trump, it did not happen. And it is doubtful it will happen.
Josh Kushner understood that the move is harmful to his business, and took four steps back.
Some of Infantino's closest aides also came out against him publicly. His senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro resigned. Kevin Lamour, FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, accused him that employees and managers are being "misled" due to a lack of transparency, and called the initiative a "one-man project" that does not serve football. The role of a president, he said, is to unite, not to divide.
In the coming days, an announcement is expected regarding a candidate or candidates who will run against Infantino for the FIFA presidency. The two senior names: the Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of the North and Central American association, and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa from Bahrain, president of the Asian association. Both came out sharply against Infantino.
But it is possible that the dismissal will come sooner. If 43 countries sign a demand for an emergency congress, it will take place within two to three months, and then it will be possible to pass a vote of no confidence and dismiss the incumbent president.
Behind the scenes, efforts are being made to convince Infantino to announce his resignation on his own initiative, to avoid unnecessary legal proceedings. But it is hard to believe he will agree to this soon. Even if it is clear that the end is known.
In April 2021, the football world was in an uproar when 12 super clubs, six of them from the English Premier League, announced the establishment of a European "Super League." Even then, the idea was to recruit external investors and inject billions of dollars into the business. The project collapsed within 72 hours, mainly due to vigorous protests by the teams' fans, who refused a situation where they are "selling football."
Five years later it happened again, only this time in larger dimensions. This time it was not private teams but national teams. And again the idea fell, this time within five days.
The message is clear: it is true that football is the most popular sport in the world, it is true that it is also the richest. But in the end, it belongs to the fans, to the people who love it and do not make a living or profit from it. This is love, and it cannot be bought with money.
