FIFA Cancels World Cup sale plan amid widespread outrage

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has canceled plans to sell off a stake in the World Cup following intense global outrage and protests.

Infantino had sought to create a subsidiary named "FIFA Forward Enterprise," which would oversee FIFA's revenue-generating sectors, including the World Cup. FIFA valued this new entity at £15 billion and hoped to sell a 20% stake, or £3.1 billion.

However, the controversial plan was scrapped amid widespread opposition from various football confederations, national associations, and senior officials within FIFA itself.

Infantino said that after listening to the "opinions of all parties," he realized that this "project had created division."

Infantino said, "Our objective has always been, and will always be, to unite everyone and develop football. Therefore, this proposal will not proceed. My goal moving forward is to bring all relevant parties back to the table in the coming days and weeks with a message of the common interest of football."

Josh Kushner, brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, was leading the bidding through his firm, "Thrive Capital," which was ahead of other contenders, with JPMorgan acting as an advisor.

However, according to a report by the New York Post, a source from Kushner's group said, "They are no longer comfortable with the matter. Under no circumstances do they want to involve themselves in this mess. Kushner will find another way to engage in this sector. The situation is becoming a major brand reputation risk."

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin had been a staunch opponent of FIFA's project from the beginning. Last Thursday, UEFA's 55 member countries unanimously decided to boycott the World Cup if "FIFA Forward Enterprise" were implemented.

As a last-ditch effort to salvage the plan, FIFA had dangled a £30 million incentive to member countries if they approved it by September 19th. But given that Europe's vast market provides the bulk of revenue from television broadcasting, sponsors, and fans, UEFA's boycott threat effectively rendered FIFA's proposed deal worthless.

The proposal was completely derailed after CONCACAF and the AFC also voiced their opposition to Infantino's commercial plan. FIFA also suffered a major blow on Friday morning with the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino's top advisors.

Infantino had kept the plan hidden from several of FIFA's eight vice-presidents, a project that could have generated approximately $100 billion (£75 billion).

FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamar, referred to it as "one man's project," stating, "A president's job is to bring people together, unite, and inspire, but this has happened exactly the opposite. If I have to lose my job, so be it. I will accept and respect that decision. At least tonight, I can sleep in peace."

With FIFA canceling the plan, now everyone, like Kevin Lamar, can take a deep breath and relax.