Richard Masters said Fifa had “pressed the self-destruct button” after Gianni Infantino abandoned a plan to sell a 21% stake in a new company for World Cup commercial and ticketing rights. Masters spoke to Sport before the new Premier League season begins, and he said the episode left Fifa with a problem of its own making.
Masters called the proposal “a self-inflicted wound” and said, “This is a problem of Fifa's making.” He added that the fallout from Fifa Forward Enterprise now fed into the solutions that need to be found.
Fifa Forward Enterprise
Infantino had tried to create a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including the World Cups, with 21% to be sold to a private investment company. After widespread criticism from several confederations, Fifa Forward Enterprise was aborted.
Uefa led the criticism of the proposal. Last week, Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issued an open letter accusing Fifa and Infantino of breaking trust “through deception”, and the letter said the dispute was about “the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it”.
English Football Association
The English Football Association withdrew support for Infantino, and Masters backed that decision. His criticism also aligns with the broader challenge to Fifa’s commercial strategy: the abandoned structure would have tied together rights across Fifa competitions instead of leaving them in separate hands. For clubs, players and ticket buyers, the practical consequence is that the proposed rights shift is off the table for now.
Masters also called for a new candidate for the Fifa presidency who could unify football. Infantino is hoping to win a fourth term next year, which leaves the leadership contest framed by the dispute over trust and the failed commercial plan rather than by a clear successor.
Premier League season
Masters gave the interview before the start of the new Premier League season, which was due to begin on Friday with champions Arsenal hosting promoted Coventry. As Richard Masters says Man City Financial Charges verdict has taken longer than expected, he is already dealing with another major issue at the top of English football, and now he has added a direct public challenge to Fifa’s president.
