FIFA president Gianni Infantino has abandoned the governing body's controversial plan to sell private stakes in its flagship tournaments, after facing intense backlash from football associations, top clubs, and even senior figures within FIFA itself. Infantino said in a statement on Friday that after listening carefully to all views, it had become clear the project had created divisions that no longer served its original purpose, adding: "As a result, this proposal will not proceed." CNN

The plan, revealed Tuesday and dubbed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would have spun off FIFA's commercial and event operations — including the men's and women's World Cups and Club World Cups — into a new $20 billion subsidiary, with 20% owned by private investors. NBC News The lead investor was to be a New York-based investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. NBC News

To win member support, Infantino had written to FIFA's 211 member associations promising that if they approved FFE, their guaranteed basic funding for the next four years would double from $10 million to $20 million, with projected funding through 2038 rising to about $86 million each, up from roughly $36 million. NBC News

The backlash was swift and severe. UEFA, where Infantino once served as general secretary, said it and its 55 member associations would not participate in FIFA competitions if the plan proceeded, calling it a profound failure of leadership and an abdication of FIFA's duty as custodian of world football. NBC News CONCACAF also rejected the plan. NBC News Pressure escalated further Friday when Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker serving as Infantino's senior adviser, resigned in protest, saying he could not stand by while FIFA considered selling a stake in the World Cup, calling it a bad deal for member associations, football, and the game's long-term future. ESPN A second senior FIFA official also spoke out, saying staff had been misled about the project. ESPN

Infantino said his intent going forward is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the shared interest of growing football, particularly in countries that most need FIFA's support. ESPN The next FIFA competition on the calendar is the Women's Under-20 World Cup, starting September 5 in Poland. ESPN