Fifpro demands independent FIFA review after Infantino's failed World Cup sell-off plan

Gianni Infantino has abandoned his controversial World Cup private investment scheme following widespread criticism from confederations, player unions and fans across the globe. The global players' union Fifpro has now added its weight to demands for an independent review of FIFA's governance, a request UEFA had already formalised weeks earlier and which keeps the organisation's president under unprecedented scrutiny.

• Fifpro and Fifpro Europe support an independent review of the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise decision-making process.
• The plan would have given private investors a 20% stake in the commercial business running the men's and women's World Cups.
• UEFA threatened a tournament boycott and withdrew the threat on 27 August after the project was scrapped.
• FIFA valued the deal at $20 billion, a figure UEFA described as fraudulently off-market in US court filings.
• Infantino plans to stand for a fourth term in next year's presidential election.

What the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan proposed

The project, known internally as FIFA Forward Enterprise, would have allowed private investors to acquire a 20% stake in a company managing commercial operations for FIFA events. That included both the men's and women's World Cups, the two most valuable assets in international football. The scheme triggered immediate rejection from three continental confederations, with UEFA leading the opposition.

The proposal was presented as a way to maximise revenue for the governing body, but critics saw it as surrendering control over football's most important commercial property. UEFA not only opposed the plan but threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments entirely if it went ahead. That warning, unprecedented in modern football history, forced Infantino to reverse course and bury the project in August.

UEFA's boycott threat and the loss of confidence in Infantino

On 27 August, UEFA formally withdrew its boycott threat after FIFA confirmed the plan was dead and provided assurances that no similar attempt would be made again. The political damage, however, was already done. The European confederation publicly admitted it had lost confidence in Infantino and announced it is working to field a credible alternative candidate at next year's Congress.

UEFA also requested an independent review into how the decision to pursue the failed project was made. That demand received explicit backing from Fifpro and Fifpro Europe on Monday, with the unions insisting that no single office should ever be able to act unilaterally on matters of such magnitude for world football again.

The infrastructure underpinning football's global workforce cannot be treated as a sellable and undervalued asset.

The $20 billion valuation and the legal battle with UEFA

FIFA valued the Forward Enterprise project at $20 billion, equivalent to around £14.84 billion. UEFA reacted sharply to that figure, describing it as fraudulently off-market in documents filed before American courts. That legal filing sought access to documentation about the proposal to clarify how it had been developed and which interests stood behind it.

The valuation dispute added further ammunition for the project's critics. FIFA, for its part, committed on 5 August to reviewing the Forward Enterprise process, although it gave no details on who would carry out that task. The governing body also appeared to pre-empt the findings by stating in its announcement that everything done had been carried out in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework.

What Fifpro wants from FIFA's governance reform

Fifpro's demands go beyond reviewing this specific case. The global players' union wants formal inclusion of player, club and league representatives within the FIFA Council's decision-making structure. The organisation argues that professional football generates immense economic value and that those who produce it on the pitch should have a voice in how it is managed.

A report published by Fifpro on Monday details how football's financial value is created and uses that explanation to illustrate why the infrastructure behind the global workforce cannot be treated as a sellable, undervalued asset. The union maintains that the current governance allowed a project of this magnitude to advance without sufficient scrutiny or participation from the stakeholders most affected.

Infantino seeks fourth term despite mounting criticism

Despite growing calls for his resignation, FIFA confirmed earlier this month that Gianni Infantino plans to stand in next year's presidential election. A victory would give him a fourth term at the helm of the organisation he has led since 2016, when he replaced Joseph Blatter amid the corruption scandal that shook world football.

Infantino has kept a low public profile since the crisis erupted. His most recent public appearance came at the Under-20 Women's World Cup, where he avoided questions about his political future and limited himself to ceremonial duties. The internal opposition, spearheaded by UEFA, is working against the clock to find a candidate capable of challenging him at a Congress widely expected to be one of the most tense in recent FIFA history.