How did former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and other football authorities criticize FIFA's $20 billion plan to sell minority stakes in a new commercial subsidiary (FIFA Forward Enterprise) that would manage the World Cup, and what are the key details of the proposal, the investor

Key financial details:

• Valuation: Approximately $20 billion .
• Stake for sale: Up to 20% (some reports say up to 21%) of FFE to external, private investors .
• Target raise: About $4.2 billion from the stake sale .
• Member payout: Each of FIFA's 211 member associations would receive a $40 million (£30 million) payout if the plan is approved, with a deadline of September 19, 2026, for members to vote .
• Advisor: U.S. investment bank JPMorgan is structuring the deal .

The Investor Group

The lead prospective investor is Thrive Eternal, an investment fund led by Joshua Kushner (brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law) . Reports describe Thrive Capital / Thrive Eternal as being among the lead backers of FFE .

Sepp Blatter's Criticism

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter vehemently condemned the plan on July 29, 2026 .

"Football belongs to no individual and to no institution. It belongs to the people. The World Cup is not a commercial asset belonging to a few executives." — Sepp Blatter

Blatter argued that football's biggest tournament should never become an investment product for private investors and characterized the plan as turning the World Cup into a financial asset for a small group of insiders . Some outlets noted the irony of Blatter's criticism given his own corruption scandals, with headlines asking "Look who's talking" .

Broader Backlash: "Selling the Soul of Football"

The plan provoked a firestorm of opposition from across the sport.

UEFA (European football's governing body) led the charge with a scathing statement:

"This crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross. It is not FIFA's to sell. None of us are the owners of football."

UEFA accused FIFA of "selling the soul of football" and signaled it was considering an emergency meeting and a potential boycott of the World Cup over the plan .

Other confederations expressed outrage over being blindsided:

• CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean) said it was not consulted .
• The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also criticized the plan .
• The Football Association (FA) of England joined the condemnation .
• Regional confederations collectively said they were "baffled" and cut out of the process .

The Guardian summed up the sentiment: "Fifa accused of 'selling the soul of football' over $20bn World Cup plan" . CNBC reported the plan had "drawn backlash across the sport" , while Time noted critics say it would "turn soccer's biggest tournament into an investment asset" .

In short, the central accusation is that Infantino's plan would privatize a global public trust — the World Cup — by handing a slice of its commercial rights to private equity investors, permanently altering the governance and ethos of the sport .