Gianni Infantino has dropped FIFA’s controversial plan to sell a minority stake in a new commercial company tied to its competitions, including the World Cup.

The proposal, designed to raise billions from private investors, faced strong opposition from UEFA and other football governing bodies.

Infantino confirmed the project would not move forward following widespread criticism and concerns about FIFA’s governance and football’s growing commercialisation. The proposal aimed to attract additional investment for football development programmes across FIFA’s 211 member associations.

UEFA strongly criticised the plan, saying football’s top competitions should not be treated as financial assets. The backlash also prompted questions about Infantino’s leadership and decision-making.

The FIFA president said the decision was taken after listening to concerns from stakeholders, insisting that his priority remains uniting the football community and supporting the global development of the game.