Power Struggle Inside Football’s Global Game

Football’s governing elite is heading into a fight over control, money, and trust. UEFA has drawn a hard line, and FIFA now faces growing resistance to a plan that would open the door to private investment in major tournament rights.

At the center of the dispute is FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s push to sell minority stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA properties to outside investors. According to the reporting, the idea is tied to an investment fund called Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner, and FIFA has told its 211 member federations to decide by September 19.

How the dispute escalated

The reaction came quickly because the proposal was seen by several confederations as rushed and poorly explained. UEFA responded with the strongest message, saying unanimously that its members would boycott FIFA events, including the World Cup, if the private investment plan is not abandoned. UEFA also criticized the move as something developed in secret and insisted that the World Cup should not be treated as a sellable asset.

CONCACAF also rejected the idea, pointing to the lack of transparency and the short timeline for approval. Unlike UEFA, it did not go as far as threatening a boycott, but its opposition added more pressure to FIFA’s leadership. The Asian Football Confederation followed with its own criticism, backing the concerns raised by UEFA and CONCACAF and calling for broader reform of FIFA’s governance.

Other regions have not finished their deliberations yet. Mexico has said it needs more time before taking a position, while confederations in Africa, South America, and Oceania have not scheduled votes.

What FIFA is doing now

FIFA has not backed away from the plan. In a statement on Friday, the organization blamed inaccurate media coverage for disrupting consultation and said it would continue moving forward. That stance has only intensified the sense that the issue is becoming a test of power between FIFA and the rest of the sport’s leadership structure.

That same day, Infantino also lost a key insider: senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned over the proposal. The departure suggested the dispute is not just external, because concern is now appearing inside FIFA as well.

1. UEFA has threatened to keep its members out of FIFA competitions if the proposal survives.
2. CONCACAF has rejected the plan but stopped short of a boycott threat.
3. The AFC has warned that the issue should concern anyone invested in football’s future.
4. Several other confederations have not yet voted, leaving the outcome unsettled.

Why the stakes are unusually high

UEFA matters because it represents the richest and most influential leagues in world football, including the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. If opposition from Europe is joined by resistance from Asia and North America, Infantino could find himself facing a broad coalition of power brokers rather than a narrow protest.

The immediate deadlines now carry real consequences. The first is the September 19 cutoff for support. The second is the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next month, which could become the first live test of whether this controversy stays confined to boardrooms or spills into tournament action.

The larger political impact may be even greater. Infantino had been widely expected to pursue a fourth term as FIFA president through 2031, with declarations due by November 18 before a March vote in Rabat. After this week’s backlash, that path looks far less secure than it did just days ago.