(9.April) Such an agreement would be unprecedented. FIFA has never sold control of its events to the highest bidder, and never to an investment fund. The council rejected Infantino’s request to push forward with the proposal, saying it needed more information. But the fact that Infantino would even entertain such a proposal illustrates global soccer’s current state of flux. The sport’s top clubs, its leading figureheads and deep-pocketed investors are dueling with one another to try to unearth new ways to capitalize on the world’s most popular sport.