Infantino’s FIFA crisis: What is reaction to World Cup investment U-turn?

Backlash to FIFA’s private investment plan for World Cups and events was huge; now football reacts to the U-turn’s fallout. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that world football’s governing ⁠body had ⁠scrapped plans to sell a stake in the World Cup and other events to private investors after widespread backlash. The response to the plan, which was announced on Tuesday by Infantino, was overwhelming. The wording of the outcry from around the globe was damning of the proposal , but stopped short of directly criticising Infantino. But it must not be the end of the story.

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Scoop News DeskEuropean · Published Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 1:59 PM UTCUpdated Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 4:33 PM UTC

Scoop News reporting summary

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The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.” “The future of global football must always be shaped through ⁠proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game,” said Sheikh Salman , president of the Asian Football Confederation. “The AFC stands ready to support any initiative that strengthens the unity of the football family, contributes to the continued growth of the game globally and delivers meaningful benefits to all stakeholders.” “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view,” an FA spokesperson wrote on its website. “We oppose FIFA’s plans – the FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will.” “With the withdrawal of the proposal, the matter is not settled for the KNVB,” the Dutch statement read. “The ⁠way this process has unfolded has led to a fundamental breach of trust in the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.