MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Just weeks after one of the most successful World Cups ever, there's a major dispute involving soccer's governing body. FIFA proposed inviting private investments in a newly created division in the hopes of raising $20 billion. Among the investors is Thrive Eternal, launched by the brother of President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. A number of national soccer federations in Europe are threatening a boycott if the deal goes through. We're going to ask Roger Bennett what this is all about. He is the founder and CEO of the soccer-focused Men in Blazers Media Network. Roger, just when you thought you could take a break (laughter), here we are.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: Welcome back.
ROGER BENNETT: It's always lovely to hear your voice...
MARTIN: Well...
BENNETT: ...Even though the football world is on fire.
MARTIN: Well, thanks for that. So in a social media post late last night, FIFA said, quote, "nobody is selling football," unquote, and that, quote, "our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports." So first, what is your understanding of exactly what this plan from FIFA is?
BENNETT: Yeah. This one is a complicated one, people. No one watches football for this. We love to watch Lionel Messi thrill. This is like watching - you know, loving hot dogs just because you like to see how the sausage is made. But the football world is in a stage of civil war, Michel. The Times of London was shown a 25-page sales deck from FIFA entitled FIFA Forward Enterprise Member Materials, which has plans devised by the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino - many of your listeners will have seen him a lot during the World Cup - to pursue a spin-off of the organization's commercial business into a new company. JPMorgan were going to fundraise. They were going to sell off 20%, essentially, of FIFA to a round of investors.
And, yes, you nailed it. The head investor is Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law. This plan's come out of nowhere. It takes a lot to shock football bureaucrats. This has kind of done it. None of us become football fans to follow this. It's really - football makes you feel alive. This conversation makes you feel the opposite.
MARTIN: Oh, OK. Well, we'll try to get through it somehow. But - so what reporting is it that FIFA's taking issue with?
BENNETT: Well, they're saying this is - oh, no one's selling this off. There's a plan. Don't worry. You know, the subsequent news broke that FIFA's offered any of their 211 nations who support the plan $40 million over the next two years for stepping up and supporting it. The response has been fascinating, immediate, the equivalent of going nuclear. Takes a lot to unify Europe, Michel. So congratulations to FIFA for doing that because the proposal sparked an immediate and massive backlash cross the football world.
MARTIN: Yeah. Why is that?
BENNETT: Well, No. 1 - there's always a power struggle within football. This is not a battle between good and evil. UEFA, though, the European football governing body - it's a group of 55 nations that include the biggest in the game - France, Germany, England, World Cup winner Spain. You know, they had six of the eight quarter-finalists at the World Cup a couple of weeks ago. They have the most commercial muscle. They met and threatened to boycott all future FIFA events until this plan is revoked. The darkness is, Michel, the Women's World Cup is just 330 days away, and that's what's being ultimately the first line of attack.
MARTIN: What's your best guess on whether this happens or not?
BENNETT: This is such a fast-breaking story. It's incredibly impossible to tell. But I can tell you what - it makes "House Of The Dragons" look like a romcom, this power struggle.
MARTIN: OK. All right. That's Roger Bennett, founder of the Men in Blazers Media Network. Rog, thank you.
BENNETT: Huge love.
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