FIFA chief caught offside, MLS names new commissioner

FIFA

FIFA President Gianni Infantino scrapped plans to sell off part of the global soccer sanctioning body's operations to an investment group led by the brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law drew immediate backlash from member associations.

If you saw just one of the 104 World Cup matches aired on American television the past two months, there’s a higher-than-average chance you saw FIFA president Gianni Infantino at least once, and probably more than that. 

He seemed to be at all of them, and if he wasn’t, it felt that AI would insert him there as if that was a mandated obligation of the Fox network.

For those of us who have followed the game closely for more than a minute, the way Infantino gazed out over the matches playing out before him was familiar. We saw it in the form of Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s president before him, and in the eyes of Joao Havelange, the president before Blatter. They seemed to watch the games, not as the fans they once were but more like an emperor lording over gladiator battles whose sole purpose was to deepen their clutch on power and the fortune that came with it.  

For all the controversy Infantino engendered leading into the largest World Cup ever – from made-up peace prizes designed to curry favor from President Donald Trump to outrageous dynamic pricing resulting in mortgage-based ticketing – it was an exceptionally watchable tournament with myriad storylines from heartwarming to soul-sucking. 

There was the joy of the unexpected success of Cape Verde countered by the incessant whining and petulant play of Argentina. 

But the Teflon that Infantino enjoyed as game followed game until a most-worthy Spain captured the Cup has finally worn through. His hubris finally crossed the line at the end of July when he championed the partial sale of the governing body’s commercial rights to investors.

As reported by pretty much everyone, and on the heels of the most profitable global sporting event ever – $15 billion by FIFA’s claims – Infantino announced plans to create a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would run the commercial and event operations of FIFA’s competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. The scheme would allow private investors to buy up to 20% of the company, with a target of raising over $4 billion from third parties.

By no surprising coincidence whatsoever, the lead investor was reported to be Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, also not coincidentally son-in-law of Donald Trump.

While FIFA said the proceeds would be reinvested into global football development, that message has probably been compromised by World Cup host cities claiming FIFA has failed to deliver on payments promised for their efforts.

Reaction was quick and harsh. UEFA, the most influential and largest confederation within FIFA, immediately stated it would boycott future FIFA events if Infantino’s plan moved forward, beginning with the Women’s Under20 World Cup in Poland in September.

There was turmoil within FIFA as well. Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino and a former U.S. Soccer president, resigned in protest and called the plan “a bad deal for football” and “a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.”

FIFA’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, said staff were "deceived" by the project, according to Sky Sports. “If that means I lose my job, so be it,” he said. 

On Wednesday, Luis Figo, the former captain of Portugal and a star at Sporting, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan across two decades, posted on X:

“Today I join others from across our game and call for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA President. Infantino has debased the office that he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.  He has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the FIFA Peace Prize winner.  It is too late to save his dignity, but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.”

FIFPro, which is comprised of over 70 player unions worldwide, accused Infantino of a “profound abuse of presidential power,” and that footballers’ confidence in FIFA had been “fundamentally broken.”
After convening what it called a “crisis meeting” in Morocco, FIFA issued a statement saying “mistakes” had been made in the plans to create FFE but insisted Infantino had the “full support” of the members of its management board present.

The next FIFA election, at which Infantino intended to stand for reelection, is scheduled for March 2027. To win, he would require a majority of 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 member nations.

MLS names new commissioner

Having previously put a deadline on his tenure as commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber’s successor was announced after a vote by the league’s board of governors on Monday. 
Larry Berg, a co-owner of the Los Angeles Football Club, will take over those duties as MLS moves towards matching its schedule to the European calendar in 2027.

While in Charlotte for the MLS All-Star festivities last week, Garber had told The Post he would remain as commissioner through the 2026 season and chairman of the Board of Governors through the end of his contract in 2027.

Under Garber’s leadership, which began in 1999, MLS grew from 12 to 30 teams, including Charlotte FC’s debut in 2022.

“I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Berg said in a statement. "Thanks to the vision and commitment of so many people, Major League Soccer has achieved tremendous success, but I believe our greatest opportunities are still ahead.

“We have an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the quality of our competition, develop more world-class players, deepen our connection with supporters, and continue elevating Major League Soccer's place in the global game. Together with our owners, clubs, players, partners, supporters, and league staff, I could not be more excited for what comes next.”

Leagues Cup

In a rain-delayed but impressive performance in their opening Leagues Cup tilt against Pumas UNAM, runners-up in the 2025-26 Clausura, Charlotte FC won 3-0 on Tuesday to set the tone for Friday night’s match against Atlas. 

Keylor Navas, who led Liga MX with seven clean sheets and a .94 goals-against average in the last Clausura, had a busy night making four saves but was beaten three times on goals by Brandt Bronico, Archie Goodwin, and Tyger Smalls.

Atlas fell 3-1 to Columbus Crew in their Cup opener on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

We can still believe

Fan favorite “Ted Lasso” is finally back on Apple TV for its fourth season so you and I can stop re-watching the first three seasons for a while. The first episode debuted on Thursday and will have the American coach returning to England and AFC Richmond to take charge of the club’s women’s team. 

Infantino may keep his job, but at least for 10 episodes – a new one each Wednesday – we have Ted back to show us what the world could and should be.

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