Premier League chief criticizes FIFA over World Cup investment plan

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has sharply criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino, calling the governing body's abandoned plan to bring private investors into the World Cup a "self-inflicted wound." The criticism comes as opposition to Infantino's leadership intensifies, with the English Football Association withdrawing its support and a senior executive departing the organization.

Masters told the BBC that FIFA, as a not-for-profit organization, should safeguard the World Cup for the future of the sport rather than consider selling an ownership stake. "This is a problem of FIFA's making. This is a self-inflicted wound. The organisation has pressed the self-destruct button, and the consequences of that flow now into the solutions that need to be found," he stated. He added that the FA had taken the "right position" in distancing itself from Infantino.

The controversy centers on a proposal, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which would have created a new entity to manage commercial rights for major competitions and sold a minority stake to private investors. The plan triggered widespread opposition across international soccer, with UEFA, Concacaf, and...