Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner has expressed regret over his involvement in FIFA’s abandoned plan to bring outside investors into a new commercial business linked to the World Cup, while continuing to defend the financial goals behind the proposal.
Kushner, founder of investment firm Thrive Eternal, had been expected to lead a group prepared to invest about $4.2bn (£3.1bn) for a 20% stake in a proposed FIFA commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE.
The project was dropped in July after triggering strong opposition within international football and escalating tensions around FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Kushner has now acknowledged that his firm underestimated the political consequences surrounding the initiative. He indicated that Thrive would not have participated had it anticipated the scale of the dispute that followed.
Despite stepping back from the controversy, Kushner maintained that the original concept was intended to spread football revenues more widely across FIFA’s 211 national associations rather than concentrating commercial wealth among the game’s biggest markets.
Investment Plan Promised Major Funding Increase
Under the proposed structure, FIFA said investment through FFE could have substantially increased the amount distributed to national associations during the 2027-2030 funding cycle.
The governing body suggested individual member associations could have received around £14.7m, compared with approximately £5.9m under the existing model.
Supporters of the scheme argued that additional capital could have helped smaller football nations develop grassroots programmes, improve infrastructure, support young players and expand the sport in less commercially developed markets.
The arrangement was expected to be put before FIFA’s member associations rather than imposed automatically.
However, the proposal quickly became one of the biggest controversies of Infantino’s presidency. UEFA emerged as a leading opponent, while several continental confederations have increased pressure on the FIFA president over his handling of the initiative.
UEFA Seeks Evidence in Possible Legal Action
Kushner’s comments come as UEFA pursues documents and testimony in the United States while considering whether to file a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland.
European football’s governing body has asked a New York court to approve subpoenas involving Kushner, Thrive Eternal, American financier Greg Maffei and two FIFA-linked businesses operating in the US.
UEFA has indicated that neither Kushner nor Maffei is currently expected to be a defendant in potential proceedings. Instead, it is seeking information about how the FFE proposal developed and how negotiations were conducted.
According to UEFA’s legal filings, Kushner and Maffei were involved in discussions over the concept from at least July 2025. UEFA also alleges that Infantino had been exploring the idea with Kushner for close to a year before a formal terms sheet was signed.
A central part of UEFA’s challenge concerns the proposed valuation of FIFA’s World Cup-related commercial assets.
Its lawyers argue that the business was valued at roughly £15bn without an open competitive bidding process or independent valuation. UEFA has also questioned whether FIFA’s senior leadership and internal governing structures were properly consulted before negotiations advanced.
The dispute has intensified scrutiny of Infantino and the way FIFA manages its most valuable commercial properties.
Kushner’s involvement also attracted attention because of his family connections in the United States. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Separately, Joshua Kushner has recently agreed a record $12.5bn (£9.3bn) deal to acquire the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, further expanding his investments in major global sports assets.