MEPs to summon Infantino over FIFA private investment plan
European lawmakers are preparing to summon FIFA President Gianni Infantino to explain a controversial plan to sell up to a 20 percent stake in the World Cup to private investors, marking a direct political intervention into the sport's financial governance.
A cross-party group of MEPs is circulating a draft letter demanding Infantino appear before the European Parliament to answer questions about his proposal to establish a new company running FIFA's competitions. The lawmakers want the FIFA president to explain the sale of up to 20 percent of this entity to external investors.
The push to bring private capital into global football's most lucrative asset represents a fundamental shift in how the sport is funded. It has triggered severe institutional backlash, with European football associations organized under UEFA joining their North and Central American counterparts to demand the project be suspended. Some European bodies have even threatened a boycott of the upcoming World Cup. The investment pool includes Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared is US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Irish MEP Barry Andrews captured the parliamentary mood regarding the commercialisation of the tournament. "The global good that is the World Cup is not anyone’s to sell," he said. The draft letter, initiated by Polish conservative MEP Bogdan Zdrojewski, goes further, accusing Infantino of a "betrayal of your duty to football stakeholders – most notably fans – across the world."
Lawmakers are particularly troubled by the timing of the investment drive, which arrives ahead of FIFA’s presidential election year in 2027. Infantino has already announced his intention to seek re-election. The draft text warns that the parliament "will not stand by if FIFA is treated as a personal asset, campaign fund and political career ladder." It also cites "public outrage regarding FIFA’s – and your own specifically – political relationships, commercial practices and decision-making."
FIFA maintains that national associations must have a chance to review the proposal in an "open and democratic" consultation. The draft letter is currently seeking approval from lead members of the Parliament’s Culture and Education committee. If a majority of the committee backs the text in September, the formal invitation for Infantino to testify will be issued.
