Masters says FIFA has pressed self-destruct button under Infantino

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has criticised Gianni Infantino’s failed FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, describing it as a “self-inflicted wound” that has intensified pressure on the FIFA president ahead of next year’s election.The proposal would have created a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights across FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, with 21% of the business earmarked for sale to a private investment group.Masters said: “This is a problem of FIFA’s making. This is a self-inflicted wound. The organisation has pressed the self-destruct button, and the consequence of that flow now into the solutions that need to be found.”The project was abandoned after significant opposition from within world football, including UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, while the English Football Association has withdrawn its support for Infantino.Masters backed the FA’s position and said FIFA should not have considered bringing external investors into the World Cup in the first place.He said: “I don’t think FIFA should be ever contemplating selling off a stake in the World Cup.“They’re a not-for-profit organisation. They should really be holding that competition in trust for the future of football.“I think it’s a bad idea, and the FA have taken the right position regards to Gianni.”Infantino is expected to seek another term as FIFA president next year, although his leadership is facing growing challenges following the collapse of the investment proposal and wider concerns around governance.Masters said football now needs a candidate capable of bringing the governing body and its confederations back together.He said: “I think an emerging unity candidate should have on his or her agenda reform of FIFA, and perhaps even reform of the president’s role and how it interacts with those things.”The Premier League chief executive also raised concerns around FIFA’s handling of the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card ban, arguing that the incident highlighted weaknesses in the governing body’s disciplinary processes.Masters added: “I don’t understand why FIFA doesn’t have a very straightforward red card review process in place, like we do in the Premier League, for example.“Generally speaking, FIFA is supposed to uphold non-political interference within the game of football. In fact, it’s part of its promise that it won’t allow it to happen in the rest of the game. So I think it’s a big issue, and it needs to be thought through properly.”His comments add to growing pressure on Infantino from senior figures across football governance and come as FIFA faces questions over its leadership structure, commercial strategy and decision-making processes.The next major test will be whether a credible challenger emerges before the November 18 deadline for presidential candidates, with the election due to take place next year.