Infantino insists FIFA’s World Cup plan is proposal and not ‘obligation’

Football governing bodies hit out at plans to sell World Cup stakes; FIFA insist proposal is not an ‘obligation’.Published On 30 Jul 202630 Jul 2026FIFA President Gianni ⁠Infantino has called ⁠the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup a proposal but “not an obligation”, after the idea ⁠provoked a furious response from a number of football authorities.FIFA announced plans this week to create a $20bn subsidiary to run ⁠the World Cup and its other events, and said it will offer stakes of up to 20% in it to external investors.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Indian Premier League’s business value skyrockets to $20bnlist 2 of 4Is FIFA selling parts of the World Cup to private investors?list 3 of 4Viral finger-clicker suspended as cricket storm remains in global spotlightlist 4 of 4Messi returns to MLS training 10 days after World Cup final heartbreakend of listThe proposal drew strong criticism from the sport’s regional confederations, ‌which said they were blindsided by the plan by world football’s governing body to bring private investors into the sport.But Infantino said strengthening the commercial side of the game is the natural next step in this evolution.“It’s part of...