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Fifa would have received a huge influx of cash in one go if the plan was approved. Each World Cup makes significantly more money than the last - it will probably be worth far more in four years, and four years after that, than it is now.

If Fifa sold stakes now, then the private investors will share in the rewards of that growth in the coming years, rather than Fifa and football doing so alone.

Fifa is a non-profit organisation under Swiss law, meaning its ultimate goal is - theoretically, at least - the long-term wellbeing of football rather than making a profit.

The big winners from the plan, then, would arguably be some of the smaller football nations, the private investors, and Infantino.

Private equity investment has already transformed sports in the US.

Rules have been changed in baseball, basketball, American football and ice hockey to allow for more minority investments in the past decade, causing team values to skyrocket.

La Liga and Ligue 1 have already sold portions of their operations to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in exchange for an immediate influx of money.

Infantino hopped on a trend in sports economics rather than trying out something entirely new.

Image source, Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last week going ahead with the idea would mean Fifa had "sold out".

He wrote on X: "Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.

"The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone's to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.

"Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will."

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Thursday, 30 July

• Uefa's 55 member associations vote to boycott World Cups if Infantino's plan goes ahead.
• Concacaf says its 41 member associations also "rejected" the proposal.

Friday, 31 July

• Fifa says "nobody is selling football" and vows to continue with the plan.
• Asian Football Confederation (AFC) says it "stands in solidarity" with Uefa and Concacaf, though stops short of unequivocally rejecting Infantino's proposal.
• A senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigns citing "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future".
• UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Infantino is the "wrong man" to lead Fifa.
• Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour says the governing body's own administration has been "deceived" about the project.

We are asking you: Should Gianni Infantino remain Fifa president?

Cast your vote in the poll at the top of this page and let us know what you think.

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Gianni Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations saying they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed his controversial plan to sell off stakes in its major competitions.

Infantino has signed a five-page letter outlining the merits of his proposal, stating that if member associations respond positively by the deadline, $20m would be "available immediately" from 1 January.

In a video later released by Fifa, Infantino defended the plans, calling them "an offer, not an obligation".

"It's part of a democratic process - a consultation process - and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation," he added. "It is a golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally."

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Fifa and Gianni Infantino wanted to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.

It said it would "invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments" in a new subsidiary - Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).

In a 25-page document created by investment bank JP Morgan, it was made clear Fifa's tournaments would expand to hit an estimated increased pay-out of 24m euros per member association in the 2035-2039 cycle.

It mentioned "new business initiatives" and "attracting top talent with incentive-driven compensation".

The World Cup was described in it as the "most widely viewed" sporting event but Fifa, by contrast, was said to be "under-monetised".

There was no mention in the document of the women's game.

If approval was granted, Fifa said Thrive Eternal was expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.

Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner - the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared.

Image source, Getty Images

Monday, 27 July

• In a 15-slide post on his personal Instagram account after the World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino tells his critics to "meditate, pray or watch a football match" instead of "spreading hate and false rumours" about his leadership.

Tuesday, 28 July

• The Times and Financial Times report Infantino's plan to sell stakes in its competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
• Uefa publishes its first statement saying football is "not Fifa's to sell", and accuses Fifa of 'crossing a line'.
• Fifa issues statement confirming the plans.

Wednesday, 29 July

• Infantino writes to all 211 Fifa member associations saying they will receive $40m (£30m) if they back his plans, but that they must do so by 19 September if they want to access an initial $20m (£15m).
• Uefa says "Fifa cannot continue to use our sport to enrich themselves and their friends."

It has gone from a proposal that promised millions of dollars for member associations to a full-blown row that has pitted Fifa and Gianni Infantino against Uefa, member associations and fans of the sport around the world.

And it has made for a remarkable few days that has posed the biggest challenge of Infantino's presidency.

Let us take a look back at the key moments that led to where we are today.

As always, we would love to hear from you on the latest rumblings at Fifa.

Do you think Gianni Infantino is right to carry on as Fifa president? Has this controversy caused lasting damage to him? Has it raised bigger questions about how Fifa is run?

And if you have any questions around the topic, get in touch as Dale Johnson, our football issues correspondent, is ready to answer them.

To send in your thoughts and questions, click 'Get Involved' on this page.

Gianni Infantino has apologised for "errors" he made in controversial plans to sell off stakes in competitions to private investors, but will remain Fifa president after receiving the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco.

Infantino summoned members of the management board to Fifa's Africa office in Rabat on Wednesday following mounting criticism of his aborted proposals, with world football's governing body releasing a statement of support four hours after the meeting ended.

European football's governing body Uefa said at the weekend that it has lost confidence in Infantino, calling the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal a "shabby, back room, opaque deal".

Much criticism has come from within Fifa, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who was at Wednesday's meeting. In an internal memo sent to Fifa staff on Tuesday, he wrote that the situation is "a sad and reproachable series of events".

However, in a statement following the meeting, Grafstrom and the management board "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino as president.

Infantino and Grafstrom also sent a signed letter - seen by the BBC - to Fifa's vice-presidents, council and 211 member associations saying they "sincerely apologise" for their errors and "commit to them not happening again".

The two were pictured attending a Women's Africa Cup of Nations match together in Rabat after the meeting.

Image source, Getty Images

It looks like Gianni Infantino has lived to fight another day.

After a dramatic few days, the Fifa president has apologised for the "errors" made over his controversial plans to sell off stakes in competitions to private investors and retained the backing of the organisation's senior leadership - at least for now.

Any sense of relief could be short-lived, with criticism continuing to swirl around the Swiss administrator.

So where does it all leave Infantino and Fifa? And how could Uefa react?

We'll recap the extraordinary events that have unfolded over the past week and bring you all the latest reaction and developments as they happen right here.