Fifa has unveiled plans to sell commercial rights to its major tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup, to private investors in a deal reportedly valued at around $20bn (£15.6bn). The proposal, which involves setting up a new entity called Fifa Forward Enterprise with US bank JPMorgan, has provoked fierce criticism from Uefa and leading European clubs, who fear it hands control of football's commercial future to outside investors and threatens the governance of the sport.

Fifa says the venture would raise hundreds of millions of dollars and redistribute more than $10bn back to its 211 member associations, with president Gianni Infantino framing it as a way to run football's commercial side as a "focused, dedicated business". Thrive Capital, run by Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, is reportedly leading the search for investors, and the plan follows record World Cup revenues exceeding $15bn this year. Uefa has condemned the move as "attempting to sell the soul of football", warning it "crosses a line" and is reportedly weighing legal options, amid already strained relations with Fifa following a dispute over a red card overturned at Trump's request during this summer's tournament.