🔻Following widespread opposition, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that the controversial proposal to sell shares in this organization’s competitions to private investors has been dropped after widespread objections.

🔹Infantino had previously promised each of the 211 member federations a $40 million bonus if they supported the plan.

🔹However, UEFA threatened to boycott the World Cup if the plan were implemented, and other football bodies also protested it.

🔹In an early-morning statement today, Infantino said: “The ‘FIFA Forward Enterprise’ project was designed to strengthen member federations and our sport around the world. But after carefully hearing all opinions, it became clear that this project was creating divisions and was no longer in line with the original objective.”

🔹In another part of the statement, he wrote: “Our goal has always been to unite and improve, and it will be. As a result, this proposal will not move forward.”

🔹The FIFA president emphasized that in the coming days and weeks he will work to bring all interested parties together again around the theme of “a shared interest in football,” with the aim of developing this sport around the world.