Aug 14 (Reuters) – Here is a timeline of events where FIFA president Gianni Infantino introduced a proposal to sell a slice of the World Cup’s commercial future that backfired and sparked a global revolt in the sport:
July 19 – The first 48-team World Cup concludes at New York New Jersey stadium with Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump, booed as they walked onto the pitch, presenting the trophy to Spain after their 1-0 win over Argentina.
July 28 – Shortly after a leak in the British media, FIFA announces it wants to create a $20 billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and other competitions, raising $4.2 billion for soccer development by selling a 20% stake to external investors.
Bypassing the six regional confederations, Infantino pitches the scheme in a letter to the presidents of each of FIFA’s 211 member associations, promising each $40 million if they agreed to the scheme by September 19.
July 28 – European confederation UEFA criticises the move, saying FIFA’s proposal “crosses a line that football’s governing bodies should never cross”.
None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell,” UEFA says.
July 29 – CONCACAF, which runs football in the Caribbean, North and Central America, says it was not consulted before FIFA came up with the proposal and that it learned of the matter through media reports and a subsequent media release.
July 29 – The Asian confederation (AFC) says it is disappointed that a proposal of such magnitude was introduced before they had the opportunity to examine it, adding that such initiatives should be based on “good governance, transparency and meaningful consultation.”
July 30 – UEFA nations hold a virtual emergency meeting and unanimously vote to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions in protest over the proposal.
“The World Cup is not for sale,” UEFA says.
July 30 – CONCACAF rejects FIFA’s stake-sale proposal after a meeting with its 41 member associations, while the Mexican Football Federation says it will study the plan before deciding its position.
CONCACAF says the discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.
July 30 – AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa says FIFA’s lack of consultation over the plan is “totally unacceptable”, adding that its unilateral actions appear to undermine “the very foundations of continental football.”
July 31 – FIFA says it will move forward with the consultation process for the stake sale. It says the process had been disrupted by incorrect media reports and that member associations should be able to vote based on the facts.
July 31 – The AFC backs UEFA and CONCACAF’s opposition to FIFA’s proposal, saying it “stands in solidarity” with them.
July 31 – Infantino senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigns in protest, calling the proposal “a bad deal for football”.
“Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” he says.
July 31 – Infantino says the plan has been scrapped.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions … no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he says.
August 1 – UEFA and the AFC welcome FIFA’s decision to abandon the initiative.
UEFA says it will work with member associations and other confederations to “to reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again.”
August 1 – UEFA and CONCACAF say they have lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
“This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative,” CONCACAF says in a statement.
August 1 – The Qatar Football Association welcomes FIFA’s decision to abandon the sell-off plan, while adding that the QFA fully supports “Infantino’s continued efforts to develop football around the world.”
August 3 – Wales, Serbia and Sweden withdraw their support for re-electing Infantino at the FIFA presidential election in March next year.
August 4 – Jordan Football Association president Ali bin Hussein accuses Infantino of “blackmail”.
Prince Ali alleges that FIFA verbally communicated during the World Cup that endorsing Infantino “would go a long way to helping our FA out” after months of the world soccer governing body refusing assistance on various matters.
August 5 – Infantino holds a crisis meeting in Morocco, where FIFA leadership reaffirms its support for him.
August 5 – FIFA says it has apologised to its member associations for mistakes made over its abandoned proposal, and announces a review of the process.
August 6 – UEFA stays firm on its threat to boycott the World Cup and all FIFA competitions, saying some of its conditions had not been met while reaffirming their lack of confidence in Infantino.
August 6 – Players’ union FIFPRO says Infantino’s proposal “negotiated behind closed doors” was not just a governance failure but a “profound abuse of presidential power”.
August 6 – African confederation CAF unilaterally backs Infantino’s leadership.
“We are committed to continue working together with FIFA, its member associations, other football Confederations and stakeholders to safeguard and adhere to governance, due process, and transparency,” CAF President Patrice Motsepe says.
August 6 – South America’s CONMEBOL releases a statement rejecting any attempt to oust Infantino that does not involve a vote of all 211 members.
August 7 – The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) breaks ranks with CONCACAF to back Infantino.
“The FMF supports President Infantino’s leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening,” it says.
August 7 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) throws its support behind Infantino while acknowledging that FIFA had made some errors with the stake sale proposal.
The AFA says the way forward is to continue working under FIFA’s leadership ahead of next year’s Congress.
August 7 – Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) President Lise Klaveness calls for the resignation of Infantino, saying the FIFA president no longer has the confidence of the football community.
August 7 – The French Football Federation (FFF) says that France will play in the Under-20 Women’s World Cup set to be held in Poland in September despite UEFA’s boycott threat.
August 8 – FIFA warns against what it calls a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine Infantino, saying attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body’s statutes and democratic procedures.
August 10 – UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF issue a joint statement attacking Infantino, saying he has broken trust “through deception” with the now abandoned proposal, had “placed himself above the collective.”
They call for a fully independent review.
August 10 – U.S. president Donald Trump backs Infantino in a social media post.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” he wrote.
“He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again.”
August 11 – Poland say their preparations for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup remain on schedule, while New Zealand say they will participate.
August 12 – FIFPRO Europe President David Terrier says FIFA is trapped in a “real war” with a breakdown of trust among federations and confederations, while raising concerns about the concentration of power within world soccer’s governing body.
“The issue is not whether he should resign or not. What we need are reforms… there is a real lack of trust and serious doubts about how the system operates,” he says.
August 13 – Six heads of Arab national football associations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup co-hosts Morocco, backed Infantino in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by the head of the national federation of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, as well as Hany Abo Rida, head of Egypt’s football federation and the heads of the Lebanese, Moroccan, Sudanese and Mauritanian federations.
However, Ireland joined the growing list of countries who have withdrawn their support for Infantino.
August 14 – The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) said it welcomed FIFA’s review of its failed plan, but New Zealand broke with the regional bloc by withdrawing support for Infantino.
(Compiled by Chiranjit Ojha and Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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