Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has launched a scathing attack on Fifa president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of triggering a crisis of his own making after a scrapped scheme to sell off a stake in the World Cup.
Infantino had pushed for the creation of a new entity, Fifa Forward Enterprise, which would have managed commercial and ticketing rights across all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, with plans to sell 21% of it to a private investment firm. The proposal was abandoned following fierce opposition from multiple confederations, spearheaded by Uefa, which had threatened to boycott Fifa competitions altogether.
Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the new Premier League campaign, Masters did not hold back in his assessment of the situation. "This is a problem of Fifa's making," he said. "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 made clear he believed the entire concept was flawed from the outset. "I don't think Fifa should be ever contemplating selling off a stake in the World Cup," he said. "They're a not-for-profit organisation. They should really be holding that competition in trust for the future of football. I think it's a bad idea, and the FA have taken the right position regards to Gianni [Infantino]."
The English Football Association is among several national bodies that have withdrawn their backing for Infantino, who is expected to seek a fourth term as Fifa president in March. Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issued a joint open letter last week accusing Infantino of breaking trust