Rogue agent Gianni Infantino and the unfinished World Cup plan that enraged his allies

Key Points:

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been developing a secretive plan for over a year to privatize the World Cup, a move that has angered key football administrators and bypassed usual FIFA protocols.
• The plan is suspected to have financial ties to the Trump family and is being described as a "unilateral Infantino project," with many officials learning about it only through media leaks, causing significant internal backlash.
• FIFA’s Council members demand transparency on the origins, financial partners, and mandate behind the proposal, which contrasts with FIFA’s non-profit structure and existing agreements with European clubs.
• Infantino’s approach has been criticized as governance by fiat, with concerns that the plan undermines smaller nations and redistributes money to secure votes, while lowering the approval threshold to push the plan through.
• UEFA and other major football stakeholders are mobilizing to block the proposal, discussing boycotts and legal challenges, with the English FA building alliances to oppose the privatization for the broader good of the sport.