Donald Trump breaks silence on controversial FIFA plans as England vote to boycott next World Cup
Despite it being less than two weeks since the World Cup ended, Gianni Infantino already scuppered plans for the next tournament in 2030.
The FIFA president was already a source of a lot of controversy after the recent tournament across the US, Mexico and Canada, due to the incredibly high ticket prices and travel bans imposed on a large number of visiting fans.
Having Russia (2018), Qatar (2022) and Saudi Arabia (2034) as three separate hosts of the tournament has also done little to convince fans that money isn't his main motivation, considering their stance within the footballing world.
But his latest suggestion has been met with perhaps the most backlash, after he proposed the idea of selling stakes in the World Cup with the hope of creating a $20bn subsidiary to run the iconic football tournament as well as other events.
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However, it can't really be a World Cup if none of the major nations turn up, even if it might be entertaining to see Cape Verde as the 2030 winners, and we've already seen England and UEFA make it clear that they won't entertain these plans.
Wherever Infantino is, Donald Trump has not been too far away in recent weeks, but it seems as if even the US president wasn't brought up to speed on his latest idea.
The 80-year-old was asked about whether he had discussed the matter with FIFA president Infantino and simply replied: "No, I never spoke to him."
Although he claims not to have spoken with the FIFA president, who he became close with during the recent World Cup, his son-in-law Jared Kushner was one of the backers for the controversial proposal,
However, even if the president had officially confirmed his support for Infantino's plans, it might have made for an awkward conversation with the US soccer team, which has made it clear that it will stand with Concacaf (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) in rejecting the idea for external investors being able to buy stakes in the World Cup.
In a statement, the governing body said: "Concacaf is a confederation united by the love of our game, where football comes first. Guided by this philosophy over the past ten years we have built, from the ground up, an organisation founded on service, transparent governance, and the long-term stewardship of football.
"History has shown FIFA and the football family what happens when the custodians of the game lose sight of these values. With this in mind, Concacaf today convened a meeting of the presidents of its 41 Member Associations, together with its President, Council members, and its FIFA Council members, to discuss a proposal developed and presented by the FIFA President to establish 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' and sell interests in the FIFA World Cup to private investors.
"During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies. In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned.
"The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance. For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations have: Rejected the proposal.
"Tasked their FIFA Council Members with engaging FIFA to determine how existing vast FIFA reserves could be used to increase FIFA Forward funding for football development across our region; and tasked their FIFA Council Members with instructing the FIFA President to ensure that any matter follows the proper governance processes via staff and FIFA Council, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes."
If the plans do go ahead and investors can buy stakes, then you best hope that you get Elon Musk's newly formed robot nation in your work sweepstake.
Topics: World Cup
James Moorhouse