Gianni Infantino broke his silence just hours after FIFA pulled the plug on its FIFA Forward Enterprise project, with the world football president scrambling to stress that "unity" remained the game's guiding principle after his controversial plan met a wall of rejection.
The scheme centred on a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have managed FIFA's competitions and commercial rights, the World Cup included. Crucially, it left the door open to selling a stake of up to 20% to private-sector investors.
Europe led the backlash. All 55 national associations under UEFA announced their rejection of the project and threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments if it went ahead.
The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF soon joined the list of opponents. Criticism sharpened over the way the project had been presented, with the continental confederations furious that nobody had consulted them before the announcement.
Most contentious of all was the plan to sell a stake in the new entity to private investors. One name kept surfacing: Thrive Eternal, the company founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Mounting pressure forced Infantino's hand. He announced the official withdrawal of the project, confirming the proposal would not proceed because of the division it had caused within world football.
He then took to Instagram, praising what he called the success of the 2026 World Cup and its power to bring together different peoples and cultures. "The 2026 World Cup brought together more people, cultures and communities than ever before, and showed the true power of the beautiful game," he said.
"Football speaks every language and belongs to everyone, and that is why I have always believed in its unique ability to unite people, inspire hope and create opportunities," Infantino added.