Former President Donald Trump has denied any knowledge of a plan by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. Infantino had reportedly devised a commercial subsidiary plan valued at $20 billion, with Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, involved.
When asked on Friday if Infantino had discussed the proposal with him, Trump responded, "Who?" After the question was repeated, he stated, "No, I didn't speak to him."
The proposal faced significant backlash and opposition from various football confederations, including UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC. The AFC, Asia's governing body, was the final confederation to reject the plan, bringing the total opposition to 135 FIFA members, representing 64 percent of the organization.
Amidst the growing dissent, Infantino abandoned his proposals late Friday. The backtrack came after internal opposition emerged within FIFA. Carlos Cordeiro, a senior advisor to Infantino and the World Cup's White House advisor, resigned from his post. Shortly after, FIFA's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour criticized the plans, suggesting they were the brainchild of a single individual and calling for nations to consider removing Infantino from his position.
Investment bank J.P. Morgan was reportedly advising on potential investors for the proposed enterprise. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who is investigating Jared Kushner, commented on the situation, calling the scheme a move to turn the World Cup into a commodity for private equity. He linked it to "shady deals by Trump's family and close associates to get rich from the presidency."
UEFA had also accused FIFA of attempting to bribe members with a $40 million incentive to approve Infantino's plan, with a deadline of September 19 for a response. The development and subsequent abandonment of the plan have led to widespread criticism of Infantino, with some fans on social media likening his situation to being isolated and abandoned.