World News for Students of English

05-08-2026 07:00

FIFA President Gianni Infantino officially cancelled his controversial plan to sell off parts of major tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, to private investors.

He had offered 40 million dollars to every national football association to get them on board, but the idea caused massive backlash around the world. European football boss UEFA even threatened to boycott the 2030 World Cup, which would have meant famous stars like Jude Bellingham missing out entirely. Other global sports bodies quickly joined the criticism too.

Seeing how much trouble it caused, Infantino admitted the project created way too many arguments instead of bringing people together, so he pulled the plug after investors backed out. Experts say this whole mess is a huge embarrassment that leaves Infantino’s position looking pretty weak, as fans and officials insisted that football should stay a game for the people rather than big private money.

Difficult words: backlash (a strong, sudden, and negative reaction by a large group of people to a decision or event), boycott (an agreement by people or groups to refuse to buy, use, or take part in something as a protest), pull the plug (to stop or cancel a plan, project, or financial support suddenly).

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