Europe’s football governing body, UEFA, and its 55 member associations have unanimously agreed to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup and the Club World Cup, if FIFA proceeds with plans to sell ownership stakes in its major tournaments to private investors.
The decision was reached during an emergency virtual meeting chaired by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Thursday.
This follows FIFA’s announcement earlier this week of a proposal to create a commercial subsidiary that would oversee its major competitions and allow outside investors to acquire minority stakes.
In a statement issued after the meeting, UEFA said all 55 member associations were united in rejecting the proposal.
“We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors,” the statement said.
“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.”
If FIFA members approve the proposal during a future vote, UEFA said its member nations would boycott every FIFA competition. The first major test of that position could come in October when the Women’s World Cup play-offs are scheduled to take place.
Although UEFA represents only 55 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, Europe remains the most successful football continent. European countries have won 13 of the 23 FIFA World Cups played so far, while six of the eight quarter-finalists at this year’s Women’s World Cup were European teams, including champions Spain.
FIFA’s proposal would establish a new commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would manage the governing body’s commercial rights and major tournaments. FIFA said it would invite private investors to make minority, non-controlling investments in the company.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reportedly written to all 211 member associations offering each federation up to 40 million dollars if they support the proposal. Federations that approve the plan before the September 19 deadline would reportedly receive an initial payment of 20 million dollars.
According to FIFA, the investment group expected to lead the deal would be Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump.
FIFA sources, however, have denied reports suggesting Infantino or any other FIFA official would become chief executive of the new company.
UEFA has accused FIFA of pushing through the proposal without proper consultation and warned that football’s governing body was abandoning its responsibility to protect the sport.
“It is irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret,” UEFA said, describing the process as one carried out “without any meaningful consultation” with stakeholders.
The European body further accused FIFA of presenting national associations with an unfair choice.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football.”
It added, “National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences.”
UEFA described the process as “not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.”