PM Hits out at Fifa's World Cup Private Investment Plan

FIFA's president Gianni Infantino is already a hugely controversial figure who is at the center of furious debates about his relationship with Donald Trump. The very first winner of the FIFA peace prize. Accused by many of mixing sports and politics and undermining football's very integrity. Now Infantino is seeking to bring in outside investors to form a new company that would essentially own the world cup tournament. Seeking to maximize its commercial potential. If approved the new structure would also give a minority stake to FIFA's 211 member associations and with Infantino as the likely sports commissioner. The risk on commercialization has to be that if you bring in external investors who are looking for a return that they push the boundaries of what FIFA can do. Can they do more tournaments? Can the tournaments be bigger? Can the tournaments be longer? And we already have a problem with the football calendar. The reaction from European football tonight has been withering. UEFA saying in a statement the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade. Especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. Adding none of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA's to sell. The extended Trump family is also involved. One of those prominently engaged in the deal-making is Josh Kushner. Whose elder brother Jared is married to the president's daughter. This summer's world cup was immersed in controversy from the very beginning. Whether it was a Somali referee barred from entering the US who then returned home a hero. Or sky-high ticket prices that stopped many fans from traveling to the tournament. Or Trump's extraordinary role in reversing the red card given to the US player Folarin Balogun. Yes, I asked for a review. Let's go FIFA! Let's go FIFA! Claims of political interference and of corruption are nothing new to FIFA. A decade ago Seb Blatter was forced out of the top job amid allegations of bribery and criminal mismanagement. But now it seems it is the Americanization of football that is at the heart of the debate. Not just with those hydration breaks and halftime shows. But with the sense the sport can deliver far greater profits than ever before. And Robert joins us now from Washington to talk about this. Indeed already is making football fans all over the world, certainly all over Europe, incredibly angry. What do you make of it? Look, I think the Americanization, the commercialization of football is almost inevitable given what we witnessed over the summer. Many ethical questions surrounding this deal. We understand that Donald Trump was consulted about the structure. We know, as he saw in my report, that some of Trump's family members are involved in the deal-making. Infantino himself, look, is defending it saying these outside investors will only have a minority stake. And he calls it the democratization of football, saying the extra funding will go to some of the smallest, the poorest, some of the most remote parts of the footballing world. But look, no surprise, Tom, as you allude to there, that that won't persuade football fans. Andy Burnham himself has weighed in tonight saying that football does not belong to investors. The World Cup is not a product. Football belongs to the fans. It always has and it always will. I think no question at all that commercially this summer's World Cup was a big success. Politically, though, it was something of a powder keg.