FIFA report: Infantino allegedly offered Morocco a World Cup final in return for cooperation

FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was designed as a FIFA subsidiary in which lucrative business areas were to be organisationally bundled. According to the research, these included the marketing of tournaments such as the World Cup, the sale of broadcasting rights, sponsorship as well as ticketing and hospitality rights. According to its own statutes, FIFA operates on a non-profit basis; economic profits from business operations are, in accordance with its charter, to flow back into football.

The planned anchor investor and its connections

Specifically, the plan envisaged selling around 20 percent of the shares in FFE as part of a valuation of approximately 20 billion US dollars, thereby raising a total of 4.2 billion US dollars in investor funds. The fund Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, was reportedly planned as the so-called anchor investor. His brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

The entanglement of investor interests, geopolitics and the awarding of a major sporting event has drawn international criticism. The reports raise the question of the extent to which the awarding of a World Cup could be tied to political or financial concessions. Critics see this as further evidence of the increasing commercialisation of world football.

Reactions and open questions

Morocco had most recently bid jointly with Portugal and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup and prevailed against competitors in the final bid. The North African state is considered an emerging football location and has for years been investing heavily in stadiums, infrastructure and youth development. The awarding of additional finals or tournament phases would have further enhanced the country's profile.

Within FIFA, the project was controversial. Various member associations and former officials had expressed concerns that parts of the world governing body's core tasks could be outsourced into a profit-oriented structure. Former top players such as Luis Figo and the former FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein had also spoken out critically about increasing commercialisation.

FIFA itself has not publicly commented on the reports so far. The White House and representatives of Thrive Eternal were also initially unavailable for comment after the research was published. It remains unclear at what stage the talks between Infantino and Moroccan government representatives stand and whether written commitments exist.

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The revelations come at a time when the world football association is already under heightened scrutiny. The awarding of the 2030 World Cup finals across three continents, discussions surrounding the awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, and the question of fan and association participation in major events have repeatedly put trust in FIFA structures to the test in recent years.