UEFA will boycott FIFA tournaments if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with his proposal to sell off a stake in the World Cup, Sky Sports reports.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of all UEFA’s 55 member associations on Thursday afternoon.
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, UEFA said: “We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.”
The boycott should effectively kill off Infantino’s proposal as investors would be unlikely to put money into tournaments without European teams.
The first major tournament UEFA can boycott is the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which starts on June 24 next year.
A major row first broke out on Tuesday between football’s governing bodies over FIFA’s plans to seek private investment in the World Cup, with UEFA reacting angrily and European nations ready to discuss a boycott.
Also Read: Infantino Defends FIFA Investment Plan Amid Mounting Backlash
FIFA announced that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA’s commercial rights – including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing – with the operational delivery of its tournaments.
Under the proposal, FIFA would raise up to $4.2bn (£3.1bn) from external investors through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes in FFE, which it says would be valued at around $20bn (£15bn).
The governing body says its plans – which need approval from member associations – could deliver more than $10bn in “football development funding” over the next four years.
But UEFA, European football’s governing body, released a furious statement that said the proposals “crossed a line”.
There was further opposition to the proposal from Prime Minister Andy Burnham who said “football belongs to fans” on X while the FA, who were left completely unaware, expressed a “deep concern” over plans.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Scottish FA said they “agree unequivocally with concerns raised by all members over the manner in which these proposals have been issued, and deadline set, without a full consultation process or consideration to good governance”.
The Premier League – who are a founding member of the European Leagues – backed the stance, saying it “fully supports this statement”.
