‘He who has the gold’

Veteran administrator Tony James says FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal to privatise world football is “underhanded”, but cautions that developing nations under severe financial stress will find the promised US$40-million payout nearly impossible to resist.

James, who led the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) from 1985 to 1992 and has spent over 50 years working in football, offered a sharp critique of Infantino’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). Under the plan, FIFA aims to create a private commercial entity valued at US$20 billion (over $3 billion) to handle broadcasting, ticketing, sponsorship, and hospitality rights for competitions like the World Cup. Developed alongside JP Morgan, the strategy involves selling up to 21 per cent to private equity investors — led by Joshua Kushner’s firm, Thrive Eternal — to raise US$4.2 billion (roughly $665 billion) in upfront capital. Kushner is the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

To win over member nations, FIFA offered a substantial payout of increasing baseline development funding from US$10 million (over $1.5 billion) to US$20 million (over $3 billion) per nation for the 2027-2030 cycle. Associations could also access an additional US$20 million upfront through a new FIFA Fast Forward Programme for infrastructure, putting up to US$40 million on the table per country ahead of a September 19 deadline. Infantino, however, warned that member nations declining support would continue to receive the baseline.