ZURICH, July 29 — The $20 billion fund proposal championed by Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners remains stuck in FIFA’s decision-making machinery more than a year after it first surfaced, with the governing body’s 37-member Council still nowhere near a vote. The calculus for FIFA President Gianni Infantino is growing more complicated by the month, as UEFA mobilises its 55 member associations to kill the deal before it reaches the floor.
The FIFA Council, the sport’s primary executive organ, is scheduled to hold its next regular meeting in March 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda, where the Kushner-backed proposal is expected to be a central agenda item. But strategists inside European football’s governing body have already signalled they will oppose the plan, and they are lobbying the other five confederations — CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), CONCACAF (North and Central America), CONMEBOL (South America), and OFC (Oceania) — to do the same.
The Council’s arithmetic
The Council comprises the FIFA president, eight vice presidents, 15 members elected by confederations, and 13 members appointed by regional associations. UEFA holds eight seats, including vice president Zbigniew Boniek of Poland. For the proposal to move forward, it would need a simple majority vote.
That arithmetic means UEFA’s bloc alone cannot block the measure, but the confederation’s lobbying campaign aims to peel off enough votes from other regions to deny the necessary majority. A preliminary discussion took place during a FIFA Council teleconference on December 15, 2024, but no vote was held.
If the Council eventually approves the proposal, FIFA would enter exclusive negotiations with the investor consortium, a process that could take six to twelve months to finalize legal and financial terms. Any final agreement would then require approval by the FIFA Congress, the supreme legislative body that meets annually. The next FIFA Congress is set for May 2025 in Doha, Qatar.
Legal and regulatory headwinds
The broader stakes extend beyond the Council chamber. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has threatened legal action if FIFA proceeds without broader consultation. Additionally, the proposal could face scrutiny from competition authorities in Europe and the United States, given the involvement of sovereign wealth funds and potential antitrust implications.
Football fans and players’ unions, including FIFPRO, have also called for a transparent debate. The outcome remains uncertain, with the timeline extending into late 2025 or 2026.
For now, the chessboard is set: UEFA is playing defence, Kushner’s fund is waiting for a signal, and FIFA’s Council remains a battlefield where no piece has yet moved. What this signals is a prolonged standoff — one that could determine the financial architecture of global football for years to come.
Sources
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