Football

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has buckled on controversial plans to privatise the World Cup — and now the footballing world wants his head.

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The news comes after a week of acrimony that included damning statements from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederations, as well as FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour who declared FIFA’s own staff had been deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale.

“It is the project of one person,” Lamour wrote.

“Not only must this project not go ahead… but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”

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FIFA Media released a statement on Friday, attributable to Infantino himself, confirming the move would be abandoned.

“The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed.

“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.

“As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”

While the embarrassing backflip has been widely welcomed, it has done nothing to shore up Infantino’s own position with intensifying calls for him to resign the presidency he’s held since replacing disgraced former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter in 2016.

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Amongst a cavalcade of critics around the world, former Socceroo and commentator Craig Foster has been one of the more consistent and publicly scathing. 

“Get. Out,” Foster posted on X in direct response to the latest FIFA announcement.

“There’s no coming back from this for Infantino, nor anyone that supported him. The global football community needs reform of FIFA, safeguards for future, and systems to operate in the game’s best interests.

“And we need an investigation into conflicts of interest, corruption, political interference and infiltration of the organisation, and failures of integrity off-field, and on.

“This must be a beginning, not an end.”

Get.

Out.

There’s no coming back from this for Infantino, nor anyone that supported him.

The global football community needs reform of FIFA, safeguards for future, and systems to operate in the game’s best interests.

And we need an investigation into conflicts of interest,… https://t.co/XbSwimDEWa

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— Craig F̶o̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ (@Craig_Foster) August 1, 2026