Infantino faces growing backlash over World Cup sell-off plan

Gianni Infantino is facing intensifying pressure over his plan to sell chunks of the World Cup to private investors, after the proposal triggered a resignation from inside his own circle and a sharp rebuke from Fifa’s leadership structure.

The latest developments add to a week in which opposition to the scheme has widened well beyond football politics. According to the Guardian Football report, European countries have already threatened to boycott Fifa competitions unless the plan is dropped. That warning has increased the stakes around a proposal that is now becoming a test of Infantino’s authority as well as the future direction of the sport’s global governing body.

Infantino under huge pressure after plan for World Cup sell

The backlash sharpened after Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino’s senior advisers, resigned. His departure is significant because it signals distance from a president who has long been portrayed as politically secure within Fifa. The same day also brought a public critique from Colin Smith, Fifa’s chief operating officer, who reportedly said the sell-off idea defies belief and imagination.

Taken together, the resignation and the criticism show that resistance is no longer coming only from outside Fifa. The issue is now exposing divisions around one of the sport’s most powerful institutions and around a project that would involve opening parts of the World Cup to private investment.

The Guardian report says two key members of Infantino’s inner circle have now moved away from him. That matters because Fifa presidents typically rely on close institutional control and political loyalty. When senior figures begin to distance themselves, it can weaken a president’s ability to sell controversial reforms and can also affect perceptions ahead of any election.

Why the backlash matters

The World Cup is the most commercially and politically important event in international football. Any move to sell rights or stakes connected to the tournament would immediately raise questions about control, ownership and the direction of Fifa’s governance model. The current controversy shows how sensitive those questions remain, especially when the proposal is described by critics in such forceful terms.

The fallout also reaches into the broader politics of international football. Uefa and other confederations are already said to be looking for candidates to challenge Infantino in next year’s Fifa election. That adds a strategic dimension to the dispute: the World Cup plan is not only a policy fight, but also a possible factor in the race for Fifa’s top job.

Infantino had been expected to cruise to a fourth term, but the latest opposition raises doubts about how secure that prospect remains. The report notes that the pressure building since the week’s revelations has cast uncertainty over whether he can maintain his position long enough to see out the political battle.

What happens next

The source material does not say whether Infantino intends to withdraw or revise the proposal. What is clear is that the controversy has moved from criticism to active resistance, with resignations, public rebukes and election manoeuvring all now in play.

For Fifa, the episode is about more than one contentious policy. It has become a broader challenge to Infantino’s leadership, credibility and ability to carry the organisation with him if he continues to press ahead with a plan that is now meeting opposition from multiple fronts.