Infantino's credibility is collapsing fast over World Cup private equity scheme

Gianni Infantino's grip on Fifa is slipping. And it's happening in real time.

The world football boss has weathered plenty of storms since 2016 — his whole playbook is basically monetizing everything and hoping nobody notices the damage to the sport itself. But this latest move? Trying to flog a chunk of the World Cup to private equity, with the buyer allegedly connected to Trump's family? That's different. That's the kind of thing that makes even his allies go quiet.

What's wild is how he's handling it. Instead of actually addressing the backlash, Infantino's doing what he always does: pushing through, hoping the noise dies down. Except it's not dying down. Every day another story drops, another voice joins the pile-on, and his authority just keeps bleeding out.

The comparison's apt — like Hemingway said about going broke, it happens gradually then all at once. Infantino's been gradually losing credibility for years with his cash-grab mentality. But this World Cup scheme? That's the suddenly part. The moment when everyone stops pretending he's got the answer.

And here's the thing: most people in football actually care about the game itself. They want it to matter. A president who's basically shopping the sport's crown jewel to the highest bidder? That's not leadership. That's just asking to get pushed out.

Whether he actually goes is another story. Institutional inertia is real, especially at Fifa. But his days of sailing through controversy with a slick speech and a restructuring plan? Those are done. He's burned through his credit.