European nations to boycott World Cup in protest at controversial sell-off

European nations will boycott the World Cup unless Fifa president Gianni Infantino abandons his plans to sell off stakes to private investors. Uefa member associations gathered virtually for a crisis meeting on Thursday afternoon after FIFA’s controversial plans emerged on Tuesday. Their approach was unequivocal, with a UEFA statement confirming: “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.” FIFA issued details of its plans to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) after media reports from The Times and the Financial Times were published on Tuesday afternoon. FFE would be owned and controlled by FIFA, the global body said, but the intention is to sell minority stakes to private investors. The lead investor is proposed to be Thrive Eternal, a company founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. “UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one,” European football’s governing body said in a statement. ““We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors. ““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.” EXPLORE MORE ON THE TOPICS IN THIS STORY