FIFA president Gianni Infantino has revealed a $25 billion investment proposal from a consortium of “secret” investors. The "mystery consortium" of investors from the Middle East and Asia have made a $25 billion bid to FIFA for control over two tournaments, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Citing multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter, the Times reported that the information was presented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a meeting with the FIFA Council in Bogota, Colombia, in March.
The bid was for the rights to "an expanded version of FIFA's Club World Cup as well as the rights to a proposed global league for national teams," the Times said. Infantino's request to go ahead with the proposal was rejected by the council, the newspaper added.
Under the deal proposal brought to Infantino, the consortium of investors would control the media rights and other commercial interest related to the competition for as many as three editions. It would even decide the venues of the new format. This could bring a major shift in FIFA’s business model, which relies on the sales of tickets, sponsorships and media rights for revenue.
The news comes as the FIFA president is attempting to raise revenues for the global soccer body ahead of his possible re-election in 2019. Infantino was elected in 2016 following a corruption scandal that hit the organization in 2015.
