Premier League chief says FIFA pressed ‘self-destruct button’ on World Cup plan: Report

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said Tuesday that FIFA had pressed the “self-destruct button” with its failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

“This is a self-inflicted wound. The organisation has pressed the self-destruct button, and the consequences of that flow now into the solutions that need to be found,” Masters told BBC Sport.

He said FIFA, as a not-for-profit organization, should hold the World Cup in trust for the future of football rather than contemplate selling a stake in the competition.

“I don't think FIFA should ever be contemplating selling off a stake in the World Cup,” he said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to face mounting criticism for the abandoned plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) accused FIFA of “deception” and a “fundamental breach of trust” for its handling of the proposal.

Several national football bodies, including the English Football Association (FA), have also withdrawn support for Infantino.

Masters backed the FA’s position, saying, “I think it’s a bad idea, and the FA have taken the right position regards to Gianni.”

He also urged a “unity candidate” to challenge Infantino for the FIFA presidency.

“I think an emerging unity candidate should have on his or her agenda reform of FIFA, and perhaps even reform of the president’s role and how it interacts with those things,” he said.

Infantino is seeking reelection at the FIFA Congress in March 2027, but no challenger has declared their candidacy.