By Jelili Gbadamosi
UEFA’s 55 member associations have unanimously rejected FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell ownership stakes in the FIFA World Cup and other competitions to private investors, warning that they will boycott FIFA tournaments if the plan proceeds.
The decision was reached at an emergency meeting of UEFA’s member associations, where Europe’s football governing body declared its united opposition to the proposal.
According to UEFA, Infantino has given football associations until September 19 to endorse the plan, which includes a £30.1 million ($40 million) incentive for associations that support the sale.
In a strongly worded statement, UEFA insisted that the World Cup is a global football legacy that should never be treated as a commercial asset or transferred to private investors.
The body criticised FIFA for allegedly developing the proposal without meaningful consultation, describing the process as a failure of leadership and accusing the organisation of attempting to pressure national associations into accepting the plan.
UEFA argued that allowing private investors to acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions would fundamentally change world football by placing shareholder returns above the interests of players, supporters, clubs and national associations.
It warned that commercial considerations would begin to influence decisions on competition formats, the international calendar and the future direction of the game.
Consequently, UEFA announced that none of its 55 member associations would participate in FIFA competitions, including the 2030 FIFA World Cup, unless the proposal is completely withdrawn and FIFA provides binding assurances that its competitions will never be opened to private ownership.
UEFA maintained that the FIFA World Cup belongs to the global football community and pledged to oppose any attempt to commercialise its ownership.
