“The World Cup is not a product,” said Britain’s prime minister. “Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has hit out at plans announced by FIFA to sell a chunk of commercial rights linked to the football World Cup.
Under the plan, which has provoked a furious reaction from European football association governing body UEFA, FIFA would create an investment vehicle holding commercial rights related to the World Cup and sell a portion of it to investors for $4.2 billion.
“Let me say this very directly,” Burnham wrote on X. “Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.”
FIFA says its plan will spur more investment in grassroots and women’s football.
But European football associations, already smarting from FIFA’s handling of the 2026 men’s World Cup, are outraged at the proposals and at the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who they see as too close to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Thrive Capital, whose CEO Josh Kushner is the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, is heavily involved with the plan, as reported by POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook.
“The World Cup is not a product,” continued Burnham. “It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”