UEFA will boycott FIFA tournaments if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with his proposal to sell off a stake in the World Cup.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of all of UEFA’s 55 member associations on Thursday afternoon, with a 55-0 vote.
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.”
In a further blow to Infantino, CONCACAF also rejected the idea of the proposals. They too convened a meeting of their 41 member associations, with a statement expressing ‘deep concerns’ surrounding ‘the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies’.
It went on to include a series of action points in relation to Infantino’s plans – but did not mention any plans of a boycott, as UEFA decided to.
It is the first time a confederation has done so for a FIFA tournament.
The first test of UEFA’s boycott for senior teams will come in October for the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifier play-offs, which England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play in.
Sarina Wiegmanand her staff are preparing for their two-legged tie against Greece as normal.
It is currently the same for the Women’s U20 World Cup; however, the timing couldn’t be much worse for European nations.
The tournament is due to start on September 5 in Poland and concludes on September 27. Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are the European nations taking part.
Everyone at UEFA’s two-hour meeting on Thursday spoke out against Infantino’s sell-off plan, including FA chair and FIFA vice president Debbie Hewitt and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.
Following UEFA’s boycott decision, an FA spokesperson said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view. We oppose FIFA’s plans. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will.”
The Scottish FA said they “agree unequivocally with concerns raised by all members over the manner in which these proposals have been issued, and the 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 UEFA’s stance, saying it “fully supports this statement”.
Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandysaid of UEFA’s boycott: “This is a principled decision that we strongly support. Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It’s time to take a stand to protect our game.”
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.
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. – Sky Sports.
