"I have this weird feeling that Gianni Infantino will pull off his mask to reveal Sepp Blatter." Gary Lineker wrote that on X over a decade ago. It just resurfaced — and the timing couldn't be more uncomfortable for FIFA.
Infantino is now pushing to privatise the World Cup through a sister company that would handle commercial operations and event organisation, with shares sold to private investors. UEFA fired back immediately, calling the sport "not FIFA's to sell." The backlash from federations across the globe has been swift and furious.
Blatter's shadow, Infantino's blueprint
Sepp Blatter ran FIFA for fifteen years before ethics violations ended his reign. Infantino replaced him, pitched himself as the reformer, and now — just over a decade in — he's pursuing a commercial overhaul that critics say undermines the very foundations of the sport. Lineker's comparison was always pointed. It's looking prophetic now.
The jeers during the World Cup weren't random. Every time Infantino appeared on stadium big screens, crowds booed. That kind of unified public response doesn't happen by accident — it builds. Questions about his influence over on-field decisions, his constant globe-trotting presence at matches, and his broader vision for the game had already eroded trust well before this privatisation plan landed.
His defence? "Strengthening the commercial side of football is the natural next step in that evolution." Whether you buy that framing depends on how much faith you have left in the institution selling it.
What this means beyond the headlines
If Infantino's plan advances, the structure of how the World Cup operates — and who profits from it — changes fundamentally. Private investors chasing returns rarely prioritise sporting integrity. The commercial pressure that would come with that kind of ownership model has obvious implications for how tournaments are awarded, scheduled, and expanded.
Infantino is standing for re-election in November. UEFA's public opposition gives his challengers something concrete to rally around. Whether that translates into actual votes against him is another question — FIFA's internal politics rarely follow the logic of its public image.
Either way, Gary Lineker posted a tweet in passing and accidentally wrote the most accurate scouting report of a FIFA president in the platform's history.
