Brussels rises against FIFA President Infantino’s plan to bring in private investors

FIFA’s move to privatize a new commercial subsidiary with the help of a Trump-linked venture capital firm is drawing scrutiny from the EU. On Tuesday, FIFA published a proposal to privatize the commercial operations of the men’s and women’s World Cups. A venture capital firm headed by Josh Kushner, the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, is lined up as the lead investor in the proposed deal — the latest sign of the American leader’s influence over the beautiful game’s governing body. “Commercial success should strengthen football, not consume it,” EU sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef said in a post on X. “Hands off our game.” FIFA chief Gianni Infantino’s close relationship with Trump has previously drawn criticism from members of the European Parliament. Earlier this month, 90 MEPs signed two letters challenging the organization over actions they said undermined the governing body’s political neutrality. Three MEPs, when asked about the matter, said that Infantino should now answer questions before Parliament. “If the plans are true, Infantino has to explain himself,” German Green MEP Rasmus Andresen said. “We should organise a hearing with ECON and CULT involved,” he added, referring to Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs and Culture and Education committees. Bogdan Zdrojewski, the European Parliament’s lead lawmaker on the European Sport Model, also told POLITICO Playbook that Infantino should also be invited to appear before lawmakers. In a statement to POLITICO, Renew MEP Barry Andrews and Volt lawmaker Nela Riehl, the chair of the Parliament’s Culture and Education committee, said that they would introduce a proposal “to request FIFA appear before a joint hearing in the European Parliament at the soonest possible date.” Under the proposal, FIFA would transfer its commercial rights and tournament operations to a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise. Private investors, led by Kushner’s venture capital firm, would acquire roughly 20 percent of that company, while FIFA would retain control. Micallef added that the proposal raised “important competition law considerations,” which the Commission would investigate. To help win support from FIFA’s member associations, Infantino paired the proposal with a substantial increase in development funding. If a majority approves the plan, each of the 211 member associations would be eligible for up to $20 million in one-time subsidies, on top of increased payments in the coming years. “Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development,” Infantino said. In a separate statement, Andrews, who chairs Parliament’s development committee, said that the funding offer “merits an invite to the Parliament development committee which I chair.” “Football’s social model has been eroded gradually over the last two decades and is now based on hyper-capitalism,” he added. Kushner’s firm, Thrive Capital, declined to comment on the matter to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook. FIFA had not responded to a request to comment by the time this article was published. This article has been updated.