FIFA's Plan for Subsidiary with Trump Family Ties Faces Fierce European Backlash

[Anchor]

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has announced plans to establish a subsidiary that will hold operational and marketing rights for the World Cup. However, controversy is growing as the project is linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump, leading the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to strongly protest, even mentioning a potential World Cup boycott.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

FIFA announced that it is pushing to establish a subsidiary named "FIFA Forward Enterprise," which will handle commercial rights such as operations, broadcasting, and ticket sales for major tournaments including the World Cup.

It added that it plans to raise up to 6 trillion won by selling a stake to external investors.

[Gianni Infantino / FIFA President: Ten years ago, FIFA was practically bankrupt. But now, revenue exceeds 12 billion dollars per month, and it is the top sports organization reinvesting its profits.]

FIFA stated that the U.S. venture capital firm "Thrive Eternal" will lead this external investment.

"Thrive Eternal" is run by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Infantino has previously faced criticism for his overly close alignment with President Trump during the North and Central American World Cup, and suspicions are now rising that the Trump family may be participating in the management of FIFA.

In an official statement, UEFA protested, saying, "They have crossed a line that should not be crossed," and added, "Football is not for sale, and FIFA does not have the right to sell football." UEFA has also called an emergency meeting this weekend to discuss countermeasures, including a World Cup boycott.

The establishment of the subsidiary requires approval from member nations. In response, FIFA has moved to persuade them, stating that if profits increase, the football development funds distributed to each member nation could rise from the current 11.6 billion won to 34 billion won annually.

(Video by Ha Seong-won, Graphics by Choi Jin-hoe)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.