Kushner expresses regret over scrapped Fifa World Cup commercial stake sale
Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner has expressed regret over his involvement in a scrapped multi-billion-pound Fifa commercial deal, as European football authorities escalate legal action against the governing body's president.
Joshua Kushner has publicly expressed regret over his involvement in a scrapped proposal to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup. The venture capitalist stated he would not have joined the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme had he anticipated the resulting political fallout.
The abandoned initiative would have seen Kushner’s firm, Thrive Eternal, lead a $4.2bn investment for a 20 per cent stake in a new Fifa commercial subsidiary. For European markets and institutional investors, the collapse of the deal highlights the severe governance and valuation risks inherent in global sports administration.
Despite his regret, Kushner defended the underlying financial goals of the proposal. He noted that the intention was to distribute capital and equity equally across all 211 member associations, rather than concentrating wealth among a small group of countries.
The venture capitalist admitted he failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football and the lengths some individuals would go to oppose the plan. He maintained that the funding distribution was merely a proposal for member associations to vote on, not a predetermined obligation.
The controversy has triggered significant legal maneuvering from Uefa, which has led the rebellion against Fifa president Gianni Infantino. The European governing body recently asked a New York court to approve subpoenas for testimony and documents from Kushner, Thrive Eternal, and adviser Greg Maffei.
Uefa is considering lodging a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland amid calls for him to stand down. Its lawyers argue the World Cup was deliberately undervalued at approximately £15bn without an open auction or independent valuation, and claim Infantino bypassed the organisation's hierarchy.
According to Uefa, Kushner and Maffei first discussed the concept in July 2025, while Infantino had been negotiating with the American financier for nearly a year prior to signing the term sheet. Uefa stated neither Kushner nor Maffei are expected to be defendants in any legal proceedings.
Before the plan was abandoned in July following intense backlash, Fifa projected the investment would increase funding for each national association to £14.7m for the 2027-2030 cycle. This would have represented a significant increase from the previous £5.9m distribution.
Kushner, who is the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, remains highly active in global sports acquisitions. He recently agreed to purchase the basketball franchise Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5bn.
