FIFA denies Infantino sought Trump backing after World Cup commercial rights deal collapsed

FIFA has flatly denied a report claiming President Gianni Infantino reached out to US President Donald Trump for support after a high-profile attempt to sell a minority stake in World Cup commercial rights fell apart. The organization labeled the allegations, first published by the New York Post on August 3, as “pure fiction.” The $4.2 billion deal that wasn’t Infantino abandoned the commercial-rights stake sale around August 1, roughly two days before the Post report surfaced. The plan was ambitious: raise approximately $4.2 billion from private investors by selling a minority stake in a new entity tied to World Cup commercial rights, targeting an overall valuation of around $20 billion. The anchor investor in the now-scrapped plan was reportedly linked to Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner. The backlash from FIFA’s member federations and internal staff proved fatal to the proposal. National football associations, the 211 member organizations that technically own FIFA’s governance structure, apparently weren’t thrilled about handing over commercial control of their crown jewel to private capital. Investors were told to stand down. Infantino’s crypto roadshow The FIFA preside...