FIFA has scrapped its controversial 4.2-billion-U.S.-dollars commercial sell-off plan following intense global backlash, threats of a European boycott, and internal resignations.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a social media post that the proposal would not proceed after creating divisions that were "no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place."
FIFA's plan was to raise up to 4.2 billion U.S. dollars by selling off 20 percent of a new unit -- a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) which manages commercial rights for the World Cup and other tournaments, with a valuation of 20 billion U.S. dollars.
The proposal, first announced on Tuesday, was strongly opposed by European football's governing body, which threatened a boycott and accused FIFA of putting the sport's "soul" up for sale.
Earlier on Friday, Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cor-deiro, resigned with immediate effect, while calling the plan "a bad deal for football." FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, added that staff members were "deceived" by Infantino, and described the scheme as a "project of one person."
Weighing in on the fierce pushback, football journalist Lee Davey said that fans are increasingly being priced out of the game, warning that commercial expansion threatens the football calendar and creates a situation where third-party organizations gain too much influence over ticket prices and tournament structures.
"In Europe, we are very protective over this sport, and it's not our sport, it's a global sport. We are very protective over it. And when we look at, you know, just a few years ago where the European Super League was going to be announced and there was a huge pushback, it was condemned widely across Europe. And there's still some start issue now, you know, these few years later. I think in general, the global football fan, the real purists, the football purists want to keep football in its purest form, because it is, I mean, fans are being priced out of the game," said Davey.
"And I think with this new proposal going forward, we are going to have a situation where potentially, with further revenue being made, is that third party organizations again, if they have a huge say in ticket prices, the World Cup potentially being expanded, the World Cup potentially happening every couple of years, and that would cause absolute havoc for the football calendar. But also fans, as I said, were priced out of this World Cup and it just happened as successful as it was, it was a really difficult situation, certainly for fans getting in and attending," Davey continued.
FIFA abandons World Cup sell-off plan after intense backlash
