Former FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce stated that the organization should focus on the interests of fans after President Gianni Infantino abandoned plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. The proposal, which aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion, drew immediate backlash from European football’s governing body UEFA, who threatened to boycott FIFA events and accused the organization of putting the sport’s ‘soul’ up for sale.

Repair Work Ahead

Boyce believes that the episode has left FIFA with considerable work to do to restore trust. ‘The average football fan has been sickened by what has happened. They are willing to see what repair work is going to be done,’ Boyce said. The pressure on Infantino intensified when regional confederations UEFA and CONCACAF said they had lost confidence in his leadership.

Infantino faces re-election next year, and his senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned on Friday, describing the proposal as ‘a bad deal for football.’ Boyce also raised concerns about ticket prices at the recently concluded World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as VAR and FIFA’s wider stewardship of the game.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.