Kushner states regret over World Cup sell-off plan

What the report says

Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner has said he regrets getting involved in Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, after the proposal triggered a major backlash in football. In comments reported by BBC Sport Football, Kushner said that if he had understood how the plan would unfold, he would not have joined it, and that he had underestimated the politics surrounding global football.

The plan, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise, was tied to discussions involving Thrive Eternal, the firm founded by Kushner, and a proposed $4.2bn investment in a new Fifa commercial subsidiary in exchange for a 20% stake. The idea was dropped days after it became public in July. Kushner said the intention was to channel more capital more evenly across Fifa’s 211 member associations, especially to support development in less-resourced countries, but he also acknowledged the controversy it caused.

The comments come as Uefa intensifies its challenge to Infantino and seeks legal action related to the scheme. According to the BBC report, Uefa has asked a New York court to approve subpoenas for Kushner and Thrive as it weighs a possible criminal complaint in Switzerland. Uefa’s filings also question how the World Cup rights were valued and say the Fifa president advanced the plan without proper internal consultation. The dispute matters because it has deepened pressure on Infantino and highlighted wider arguments over how football’s commercial power is controlled and distributed.