European football's governing body Uefa reacts furiously to proposals from Fifa to seek private investment in its competitions, including the World Cup.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino (left) and US President Donald Trump at the 2026 World Cup final European football's governing body Uefa has reacted furiously to proposals from Fifa to seek private investment in its competitions, including the World Cup. Fifa - the sport's global governing body - said it intends to expand "football development funding" to more than $10bn (£7.5bn) and invite third-party investment in a new venture. The story was first reported in the Financial Times and the Times, with the latter claiming the plans could potentially earn Fifa president Gianni Infantino tens of millions of pounds. In a lengthy statement outlining the proposals, Fifa says it will " invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments" in a new subsidiary - Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) - to "consolidate" its commercial and event operations. Fifa say that once approval has been granted, Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE. Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared. "Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value - and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game," he said.