As the 2026 World Cup drew to a close last month, many would have expected tournament organiser FIFA to slip back behind the scenes as fans around the world turned their attentions to their respective club teams once again.
FIFA, it seems, had other ideas.
The football world governing body sparked huge backlash in late July when it announced a plan to invite private investors to take stakes in a new subsidiary known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have run its commercial operations and events, including the World Cup.
The proposal, which FIFA said could raise up to $4.2 billion based on an initial valuation of $20 billion, prompted fierce criticism from across the football community.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his team have since scrapped the plan and issued an apology for the way the situation was handled, with Infantino vowing to fight on in his role despite mounting calls for him to step down.
