European Leagues chief slams Infantino over aborted World Cup privatisation plan

When the news broke that FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino had tried to sell a slice of the World Cup’s commercial rights, the reaction was anything but quiet. Claudius Schafer – the man who runs the European Leagues, an umbrella body for 53 men’s and women’s competitions across the continent – went straight to the point.

“When I saw how this whole thing unfolded and that FIFA’s key bodies weren’t involved, there’s essentially only one consequence in any company or association,” Schafer told the Swiss daily SonntagsZeitung. He was not being melodramatic; he was describing a scenario that, in his view, left no room for a polite ‘let’s talk it over’.

For Schafer, the word ‘consequence’ was a thinly‑veiled reference to the idea that a leader who pushes a business deal forward without anyone else knowing should probably step aside. “This is usually the consequence when someone in a company pushes such a business deal forward without anyone knowing about it,” he added, hinting that Infantino’s days at the helm might be numbered.

Infantino did retreat on Friday, scrapping the plan after a wave of criticism that spilled over from the FIFA Council to the regional confederations. Both UEFA and CONCACAF said on Saturday that they had lost confidence in his leadership – a pretty stark admission from the very bodies that sit under FIFA’s roof.

Schafer, who also serves as chief executive of the Swiss Football League, argued that the whole proposal was less about protecting the sport and more about lining the pockets of third‑party investors. “It’s solely about the financial advantages; everything else is completely ignored,” he said, pointing out that the scheme would have meant more matches, more tournaments and, ultimately, a more congested calendar.

That, in turn, would have squeezed national championships, something Schafer and the European Leagues could not stomach. “Nobody knew about the plans, not even the FIFA Council, the governing body of FIFA. I was very surprised that the president was acting completely alone in this matter,” he told the newspaper.

Whether Infantino will weather the storm or step down remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the episode has left a deep fissure between FIFA’s top office and the leagues that form the backbone of the beautiful game in Europe.