国际足联主席詹尼·因蒂诺提出的一项向私募投资者出售未来世界杯利润股份的融资计划遭遇重挫[1]。该计划规模达20亿美元，拟融资42亿美元并出售20%的股份[1]，在引发全球足球界强烈反对后于上周末被撤销[1]。
高级管理人员随后与这一方案划清界限。国际足联高管阿尔塞纳·温格表示自己对该计划毫不知情，并宣称"绝对必要"放弃该提议[1]。国际足联首席财务官马蒂亚斯·格拉夫施特伦在致全体员工的邮件中将过去一周称为"令人悲哀和应该谴责的一系列事件"[1]。首席运营官凯文·拉莫尔更进一步，指控员工遭到因蒂诺"欺骗"，称这是"一个人的项目"[1]。
该融资计划的主要投资者是由约书亚·库什纳创办的投资公司Thrive Eternal[1]。因蒂诺早在7月19日北美世界杯结束后一周就已向国际足联管理层介绍了这一项目详情[1]。该方案承诺向所有211个国际足联成员联合会各提供2000万美元现金，并在四年内将这笔资金翻倍至4000万美元[1]。欧足联甚至因此威胁抵制所有国际足联比赛和赛事[1]。
已担任国际足联主席超过10年的因蒂诺原定于明年3月在摩洛哥举行的大会上无反对对手地再次当选[1]。
FIFA President Gianni Infantino's $2 billion proposal to sell future World Cup profit shares to private investors has collapsed, with senior officials Arsène Wenger and Mattias Grafström publicly disassociating themselves from the scheme this week [1]. The plan, which sought to raise $4.2 billion by selling a 20 percent stake to investors, was withdrawn last weekend following intense opposition from the global football community, including threats from UEFA to boycott all FIFA competitions [1].
Wenger stated he had no knowledge of the initiative and declared it "absolutely necessary" to abandon the proposal [1]. Grafström, in an email to all FIFA staff, characterized the preceding week as "a sad and condemnable series of events" [1]. The scheme's primary backer was Thrive Eternal, a firm founded by Joshua Kushner [1]. COO Kevin Ramol revealed on Friday that staff felt deceived by Infantino, describing it as "one person's project" [1].
The initiative had been presented to FIFA's leadership as early as July 19, just one week after the North American World Cup concluded [1]. The plan had promised each of FIFA's 211 member associations $20 million in cash plus funding doubled to $20 million over four years [1]. Infantino, who has served as FIFA president for over a decade, is scheduled to run unopposed for reelection in March in Morocco [1].