FIFA Pressed Executives to Approve 20% World Cup Stake Sale by Midnight
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 6
FIFA Pressed Executives to Approve 20% World Cup Stake Sale by Midnight
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 6
Summary
Five FIFA bureau members were summoned to a hastily arranged Manhattan meeting and told they had until midnight to sign off on a plan to sell 20% of FIFA.
The proposal would hand private investors a stake in the World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s 96-year history, with Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal and JPMorgan involved.
Most of the directors had not previously heard of the plan, which was developed in secrecy and presented to a bureau meant to review major financial transactions.
Some members left believing Gianni Infantino would be furious if they delayed, underscoring concerns about the FIFA president’s influence over officials and the risk of a wider split in soccer leadership.