Sports
FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino on the Ropes as He Ditches Controversial $20 Billion Private Investment Plan
August 1, 2026
Source: Yahoo Sports · Read on source site
Gianni Infantino, the embattled president of soccer’s governing body FIFA, has abandoned his controversial plan to create a $20 billion company that would control the commercial rights to its events, principally the World Cup.
> In a statement released late Friday, Infantino said it had “become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.”
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> Infantino said, “Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game.”
> More to follow.
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