European football’s governing body, UEFA, has voted to boycott FIFA events – including the World Cup – if FIFA proceeds with plans to sell stakes in a new commercial subsidiary to private investors.
The unanimous vote by UEFA member federations agreed on Thursday to boycott all FIFA competitions in protest against Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
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“UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,” the European football body said after an urgent online meeting of its 55 members.
The strategy meeting was called to counter FIFA President Infantino’s offer of $20m to each of its 211 global members, which must be accepted by mid-September.
Infantino’s secret proposal was revealed on Tuesday to spin off its commercial operations in a $20bn operation, with 20 percent owned by private investors.
The core investor would be a New York venture capital investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
What did UEFA’s statement say after FIFA boycott vote?
“No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership,” UEFA said in a statement.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent.
“No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”
The next FIFA competition is in Europe, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, hosted by Poland from September 5.
FIFA has been contacted by Al Jazeera for a response to UEFA’s vote.
What has been said elsewhere about FIFA’s World Cup plan?
Earlier on Thursday, Infantino called the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup a proposal but “not an obligation” after the idea provoked a furious response from football authorities around the globe.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa branded FIFA’s lack of consultation over its plan as “totally unacceptable”, saying the move undermined the sport’s existing continental structure.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter slammed the football governing body’s plans, saying the tournament was not a commercial asset that belonged to a few executives.
“Football belongs to no individual and to no institution. It belongs to the people,” Blatter told the news agency Reuters on Wednesday.
Britain’s culture minister, Lisa Nandy, on Thursday backed UEFA’s decision.
“This is a principled decision that we strongly support,” Nandy said in a statement. “Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It’s time to take a stand to protect our game.”
Her words came after United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham took to X on Tuesday with an immediate response to the proposals.
“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,” Burnham said.
“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,” he added.
What does UEFA’s move mean for Infantino’s FIFA presidency?
Infantino’s high-stakes financial gambit now could threaten his previously secure 11-year presidency of FIFA as anger and frustration with him rise among football stakeholders, including three of the six continental bodies.
FIFA has set a November 18 deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members scheduled next March in Rabat, Morocco.
Infantino had seemed – 11 days ago after the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey – to have a clear path to being re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term in office through 2031.
Football officials have said privately Infantino eyes a commissioner-like role at the FIFA Forward Enterprise spinoff beyond 2031.
“Game over, Gianni #InfantinOUT,” the Football Supporters Europe group, which advises UEFA on fan issues such as ticket prices, posted after the boycott threat.
What was the rest of UEFA’s statement about boycotting FIFA?
“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game,” the UEFA statement continued.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football.
“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.
“But our opposition goes far beyond process.
“The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.
“This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.
“Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation.
“Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination.
“There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.
“Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”