UEFA strongly condemns the plan, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino could see his salary increase tenfold. Tech investor Joshua Kushner, whose family is close to the Trump administration, is reportedly involved.
According to reports from Index.hr Sport and Sportklub, FIFA is in advanced negotiations with JP Morgan to raise several billion euros by selling approximately 20 percent of its ownership stake to external investors. The deal is said to be led by tech investor Joshua Kushner through his fund Thrive Eternal. Kushner's older brother Jared is married to Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, adding a political dimension to the plan.
According to available information, the minority stake is valued at around €17.5 billion, while Sportklub reports the entire new commercial entity could be worth approximately $20 billion. Private investors would take 20 to 30 percent ownership, while member associations would collectively receive a 20 percent stake. Currently, each of the 211 national associations receives about €2 million annually from FIFA, and under the new model, these funds could be multiplied, benefiting even the Croatian Football Federation.
The European football governing body (UEFA) has strongly condemned the plan. In a statement carried by Index.hr Sport, UEFA says: 'This crosses a line that leading football institutions should never cross. UEFA takes this extremely seriously. So should all national football associations, as well as all stakeholders: leagues, clubs, players, fans, governments, and everyone who cares about the future of the game. The soul and governance of football are not assets to be traded, especially with zero transparency about who financially profits. None of us owns football. FIFA has no right to sell it.'
An anonymous high-ranking source from the football world described the move to The Times as a 'nuclear bomb' for the sport. Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas weighed in, commenting on Infantino's Instagram message aimed at critics of his leadership and the organization of the 2026 World Cup. 'Pathetic,' Tebas told ESPN, using the English word pathetic.
The 56-year-old Infantino is expected to be re-elected as FIFA president unopposed until 2031. With the transition to the new business model, he could become a kind of commissioner, and it is speculated that his compensation could reach the level of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who earns €56 million annually, ten times Infantino's current salary, according to Index.hr Sport.
Thanks to this year's World Cup, FIFA is on track to generate at least €11.5 billion in revenue in the current four-year cycle, a huge jump from the €6.7 billion in the previous cycle. In the next period, at least €12 billion is expected, creating pressure to commercialize these funds as efficiently as possible, even by selling stakes to private investors.
