Macron personally urged Infantino to drop FIFA investment plan, L’Équipe reports

French President Emmanuel Macron personally telephoned FIFA president Gianni Infantino to voice opposition to a controversial proposal that would have opened the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors, according to reporting by L'Équipe. The intervention adds another layer of political pressure on Infantino, who scrapped the plan on July 31 after days of fierce backlash from football's governing bodies and world leaders.

Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy

The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, was first revealed by The Times on July 28. It aimed to sell roughly 20 percent of a new commercial subsidiary to external investors — a deal projected to generate $4.2 billion — while FIFA retained majority control. The investor group was reportedly expected to be led by Joshua Kushner's investment firm, Thrive Eternal.wsj+2

According to L'Équipe, Macron held a direct call with Infantino asking that "the unity of world football be preserved, avoiding divisions". He also reached out to Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe to express full support for UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, who had fronted opposition to the project. "There is strong mobilisation on the part of the President of the Republic," a source close to Macron told the French newspaper.getfootballnewsfrance+2

France's position aligns with that of UEFA, which voted unanimously to boycott the World Cup if the plans went ahead.politico

Political Pressure Mounts

Macron's intervention followed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's public call on July 31 for Infantino to resign. "The idea that it could even be brought forward, in my view, shows that the FIFA president is the wrong man to lead the organization," Burnham told GiveMeSport.youtube+1

Infantino announced the withdrawal of the plan late on August 1, stating that "the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place".nbcsports+1

Echoes of the Super League

Sources close to the French government compared Macron's stance to his opposition to the European Super League in 2021, which collapsed within days under public and political pressure. Unlike Burnham, Macron has not publicly called for Infantino's departure, opting instead for what observers describe as a more cautious diplomatic approach. Infantino now faces mounting scrutiny ahead of his re-election bid at the FIFA Congress in March.goal+3