FIFA Draws Backlash for “Selling Soul of Football” & Apple Wants You to Lease Your iPhone
July 29, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readFIFA Draws Backlash for “Selling Soul of Football” & Apple Wants You to Lease Your iPhone
FIFA shocked the soccer world yesterday by announcing plans to create a new commercial company called FIFA Forward Enterprises, which would own and operate the sport's biggest global events like the World Cup. The governing body then wants to sell stakes in FFE to private investors, valuing the company at around $20 billion, with Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital taking the lead. The proposal has drawn immediate fire from critics who accuse FIFA of attempting to monetize the beautiful game to an ugly extent.
The FIFA Money Grab and Its Fallout
Any time FIFA and money are mentioned together, the hackles of soccer fans around the world go up. The global governing body just generated at least $12 billion in revenue from the most recent World Cup — by far the most lucrative tournament in history and double the previous one. UEFA, Europe's governing body, immediately rebuked FIFA's plan, which they perceive as a money grab. "It's not FIFA's to sell," UEFA said in a statement, accusing FIFA of attempting to "sell the soul of football," treating it as a financial asset, and providing zero transparency over who ultimately benefits. They also threatened to boycott future tournaments.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:51) **FIFA’s Plan to Sell Stakes in World Cup Draws Global Backlash** - FIFA announces a new commercial company, FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), to own World Cup events and sell stakes to private investors, led by Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital, valuing the entity at ~$20 billion.
- 2 (08:28) **Bernard Arnault’s PR War with Le Monde Over Succession Drama** - Europe’s richest man, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, posts his first-ever X response to a six-part Le Monde investigation, sarcastically defending his family against accusations of a backstabbing succession battle.
- 3 (12:08) **Apple’s New Leasing Program Aims to Make iPhones More Affordable** - Apple introduces “Apple Upgrade,” a leasing program in partnership with Klarna, offering monthly payments starting at $17.99 for iPhones and up to three-year leases for Macs and iPads.
- 4 (18:09) **Jersey Patch Deals Heat Up in College Sports** - JP Morgan Chase strikes a deal with Ohio State for jersey patches, only to be outdone hours later by Notre Dame’s deal with SoFi, reportedly worth up to $20 million annually.
- 5 (23:01) **HBO Max Tests Vertical Shorts to Capture Short Attention Spans** - The streamer introduces a “shorts” feature with vertical video clips from existing shows and movies, personalized to user watch history, allowing seamless jumps to long-form content.
- 6 (24:40) **Classics Professor Emily Wilson Blasts Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey** - In a London Review of Books essay, Wilson criticizes Nolan’s adaptation for lacking psychological, emotional, political, and ethical depth, calling the narrative “gimmicky” and the food “horrible.”
- 7 (26:17) **Suggestion Box: Toby’s AI Historical Figure Game & Neil’s Blood Donation Plea** - Toby recommends asking your AI which historical figure you resemble, a fun conversation starter that yielded “Benjamin Franklin” for both hosts; Neil urges listeners to donate blood amid a U.S. blood crisis, with incentives like Fandango tickets and Amazon gift cards.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
#899: FIFA president Gianni Infantino plans to sell stake in the World Cup and its governing body hates it. Apple wants you to upgrade your iPhone with the option to lease. JPMorgan and Ohio State ink a record sports deal that shows the professionalization of college sports. Europe’s richest man, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault publicly disputes any rumors of family in-fighting. Finally, Odyssey translator Emily Wilson hated Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’
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