FIFA is in hot water after it emerged that the football organisation could be looking to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
The move could see FIFA president Gianni Infantino potentially pocket tens of millions of pounds if the sale is a success. But the suggestion had drawn condemnation from world leaders, including British PM Andy Burnham, while UEFA has said the move “crosses the line.”
But it is far from the first time FIFA has landed in controversy while Infantino is at the helm. From odd speeches declaring he “feels gay today” to overturning World Cup red cards after being requested to by Donald, here is a look at some of the wildest controversies the FIFA boss has found himself in.
‘Today I feel gay’
In a November 19, 2022 press conference in Doha ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, Infantino made some comments in a speech ahead of the tournament that left onlookers baffled.
In a bizarre monologue, Infantino attempted to criticise Western media for giving “moral lessons” about Qatar’s abuse of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ rights ahead of the World Cup.
The speech led to backlash from LGBTQ+ football fans due to homosexuality being illegal in Qatar. In the rambling speech, he said: “Today I have very strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay.
“Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker. I feel like them because I know what it feels like to be discriminated, to be bullied as a foreigner in a country.
“It’s not easy every day to read all these critics of decisions that were taken 10 years ago when none of us was there. Now everyone knows we have to make the best out of it and make the best World Cup ever.”
He added: “At school I was bullied because I had red hair and freckles. I was bullied, plus I was Italian, so imagine. I didn’t speak good German. What do you do then? You lock yourself down in your room, you cry and then you try to make some friends. You try to engage … You don’t start accusing or fighting, you start engaging. This is what we should be doing.”
Red card and cosying up to Trump
During the 2026 World Cup Infantino came under fire due to FIFA overturning a US player’s red card after being requested to by the White House. The controversy was sparked following the US team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
During the game US striker Folarin Balogun, 25, was hit with a red card leading to the US government to intervene. A White House official rang the governing body of global football to request FIFA president Gianni Infantino to reconsider the red card.
But FIFA has insisted the White House did not sway its decision despite choosing to revoke the player’s red card. Speaking about the red card after it was overturned Trump said: “I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports and that wasn’t a foul.
“That wasn’t even an infraction. This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. He made a call that nobody could believe. He’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card.
“I didn’t know what that meant. Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.” European football body UEFA expressed “disbelief” at the decision, which it said was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.
Ticket price pandemonium
During the 2026 World Cup European watchdogs declared war on FIFA over ticket prices. The group Euroconsumers blasted FIFA’s World cup ticket prices as “financially out of reach for most ordinary supporters.”
An official complaint was submitted by Euroconsumers and Football Supporters Europe with the European Commission accusing FIFA of abusing its ticket sales monopoly to impose high prices and unfair conditions. The complaint alleged breaches of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which prohibits abuses of a dominant market position.
Romane Armangau, of Euroconsumers, said: “FIFA has a complete monopoly over World Cup ticket sales. They are using that power to charge prices that would not exist in a normal competitive market while hiding information from buyers and manipulating them into rushed decisions.”
She said tickets to the World Cup final now start at more than £3,000. The complaint relies on a December 2023 Super League court ruling which said FIFA and UEFA can fall under EU competition law when they organise and market competitions as economic activities.
The filing argued that reasoning applies here too because FIFA is the sole seller of World Cup tickets and is allegedly abusing that dominant position. Euroconsumers and its partners urged the European Commission to step in by imposing price caps and forcing greater transparency over sales.
Wild rants on Instagram
Infantino has come under fire for his social media activity on Instagram after posting a bizarre rant attacking critics for “spreading hate’ about the “best show in the world’.
In a 15-page message posted on Instagram the FIFA chief said critics who sneered at the recent World Cup had “missed all the joy and togetherness” the tournament had inspired.
He said some had been “so consumed by hate and criticism’ they missed the “joy, emotions, happiness, unity, and togetherness” experienced by “seven million people from over 200 countries” who saw the matches in the US, Mexico and Canada – plus “billions worldwide” who tuned in on TV “from home”.
Human rights organisation FairSquare, which made a formal complaint about his conduct during the tournament to the International Olympic Committee, said it showed how much Infantino was “divorced” from the “reality” of his unpopularity.
Director and founder Nicholas McGeehan said: “Infantino’s score-settling rant further underscores his unfitness to govern world football. He is cosseted by yes-men inside the organisation and divorced from the reality of his unpopularity outside of it.”
Selling off Fifa
The most recent controversy is about FIFA plotting to sell stakes in its sister company which will preside over the World Cup and Club World Cup. Coughing up to 20% in a new FIFA Forward Enterprise could generate the governing body upwards of £3bn from private investors. If the plan was to go ahead Infantino would be on track to bring home a substantial sum in bonuses if the plan was a success.
But the plan has already been hit with massive backlash as world leaders have lashed out against the new. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has lashed out against the move stating: “Football belongs to the fans.”
Uefa have already penned a furious response to the plans, with a statement reading: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. Uefa takes it extremely seriously.
“So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not Fifa’s to sell.”
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