Gianni Infantino: World Cup private investment proposal FFE 'will not proceed' after worldwide outrage

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has announced that he’s withdrawn his controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise plan to bring private investment into the World Cup after worldwide consternation and significant protest.

Infantino’s plan was to inject capital into every FIFA member nation by opening up a percentage of the World Cup to private investment, with reports linking Jason Kushner — brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — as the leader of the investment group.

MORE — Infantino’s FFE plan and the blowback: Details, timeline

FIFA sent out a statement late Friday, simply titled “Statement attributable to the FIFA President.”

It is detailed in full below.

Infantino faced heat from outside and inside of FIFA, as advisor Carlos Cordeiro — the former US Soccer president — stepped down and current COO Kevin Lamour released a statement saying he felt “deceived” by his boss.

All of that came after UEFA said all of its member nations would boycott all FIFA competitions including the men’s and women’s World Cups, and receiving backing from CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

More to come....

Gianni Infantino’s statement on end of FFE proposal

“The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed. And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.

“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has 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.

“Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve.

“As a result, this proposal will not proceed.

“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, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.”

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