FIFA president Gianni Infantino's leadership has become "radioactive" and his 10-year reign as head of world football "is over", a former head of IOC marketing told AFP.

Spanish giants Real Madrid on Sunday welcomed FIFA's decision to scrap their controversial plan to allow private investment in the World Cup.

Claudius Schaefer, whose organisation represents 53 professional men's and women's football leagues, said there could be "only one consequence" for Infantino after his plan triggered a storm of protest from regional associations.

Political defeats can be overcome. A loss of credibility is far harder to repair.

The Asian Football Confederation said on Saturday it welcomed the scrapping of FIFA's proposal to allow private investment in the World Cup.

After causing a few days of uproar in the footballing community, FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Saturday scrapped the plan to sell stakes to private investors in FIFA-run events, including the World Cup.

Here is a chronological timeline detailing how the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal unfolded, blew up into a global football crisis, and was ultimately killed off in a matter of days.

The answer may arrive sooner than anyone expected.

UEFA's member associations have unanimously voted to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions in protest at FIFA's plan to sell stakes to external investors in a subsidiary that will run the global governing body's tournaments.

FIFA has told member associations they will each receive $40 million if they back a plan to sell stakes in major competitions -- but they must sign up by September 19.

FIFA faced criticism over a number of issues during the tournament, including debate over U.S. visa restrictions affecting supporters and officials from several countries and concerns involving teams from conflict-hit regions.

Together they have amassed decades of experience at the highest international level, with World Cup titles, triumphs in continental competitions, and unforgettable moments on the game’s biggest stage.

If a 48-team tournament is already stretching the finances of participating federations, a longer 64-team event could increase those costs further.

I enjoy it for what it is: a piece of our lives that comes around every four years to hand us joy.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has announced that Hollywood star Tom Cruise will join the lineup for its highly anticipated pre-match closing ceremony.

Interestingly, almost everyone in my family supported Brazil, while my father also admired Germany and Italy. Even today, I cannot clearly explain why I chose Argentina. Perhaps it was Gabriel Batistuta

For Messi and his squad, the lesson of 1990 is clear: when you are the champions, the world presents a treacherous road. Sometimes, they block the road entirely.

It could be a match of validation of their particular styles, but rarely do two sides meet on the world stage with such an assembly of class and potential.

Now, the Los Angeles-based EDM producer and DJ is preparing to entertain fans on home soil. He will perform on 19 July at Fan Fest 2.0, a six-day celebration organised at Kamal Ataturk Park in Banani to mark the FIFA World Cup semi-finals and final.

Suffering remains an unavoidable, deeply embedded experience for this team; a tax Argentina always seems destined to pay before they can taste glory, or otherwise. The question is whether Scaloni can survive the next wave of it by standing still.