FIFA says it will not proceed with its proposal to sell a piece of its business empire to outside investors after the project was met with fierce resistance from some of its member associations.FIFA's plan was to raise billions of dollars by selling about a 20 percent stake in a new unit that would run FIFA events including the World Cup, valuing it at $20 billion.The proposal, first announced on Tuesday, was strongly opposed by European soccer's governing body, UEFA, which threatened a boycott and accused FIFA of putting the sport's "soul" up for sale."Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement."Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."On Saturday morning, New Zealand Football said it could not support the plans.In a statement, the organisation said the proposal lacked the independent governance, legal and financial assessment required to enable any robust evaluation of the matter."'The FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup and other FIFA tournaments are the pinnacle of the global game, something everyone across football has a responsibility to respect and protect," it said."'New Zealand Football has questions and concerns regarding both the proposal itself and the process by which it has been developed and presented.''We will be raising these concerns directly with FIFA and stating we cannot support this proposal.''FIFA's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said staff were "deceived" by Infantino, describing the proposal as a "project of one person".British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, meanwhile, has told reporters that Infantino was "the wrong man to lead the organisation".- Reuters, with additional reporting by RNZ