The profit motive has strangled sports. Now Fifa is putting soccer up for sale | Dave Schilling
Summary
Fifa President Gianni Infantino plans to sell up to 20% of a new company that would manage major soccer tournaments like the World Cup. This new company, called Fifa Forward Enterprises, would handle commercial deals while Fifa remains a non-profit. The proposal has caused strong criticism from some soccer governing bodies, and it requires approval from a majority of Fifa’s 211 member countries.Key Facts
- Fifa wants to create a new company to run tournaments like the World Cup and sell up to 20% ownership in it.
- The new company would be called Fifa Forward Enterprises and focus on commercial activities.
- Fifa itself would stay a registered non-profit organization in Switzerland.
- UEFA, the English Football Association, and Concacaf have voiced strong concerns about the plan.
- Approval requires votes from most of Fifa’s 211 member nations, each having one vote regardless of size.
- Gianni Infantino threatened that countries rejecting the plan might lose $40 million in funding.
- The investment group leading the sale includes Thrive Eternal, connected to Josh Kushner, brother of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
- Soccer has long involved corporate sponsorships on jerseys, stadium names, and TV deals, making commercialization common in the sport.
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