UEFA confirm plan to boycott World Cup if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with sell-off plan

England and its fellow UEFA nations have unanimously voted to boycott the upcoming men’s and women’s World Cups if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with plans to sell off shares in the tournament to private investors.UEFA’s 55 member nations held a virtual crisis meeting on Thursday to discuss Infantino’s recently announced plans to privatise and sell shares in the World Cup.UEFA’s willingness to boycott the tournament may see the plans fall through, as potential investors in the men’s and women’s World Cups will be deterred by the absence of European teams.FIFA intends to "invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments" in a new commercial subsidiary. They have confirmed that venture capital firm Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, will lead the investment group.UEFA and its members have now formalised their opposition in a scathing joint statement describing Infantino’s plans as ‘indefensible’ and confirming plans to boycott all FIFA tournaments.It read: “UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors. Aleksander Ceferin leads UEFA’s response to Gianni Infantino’s controversial investment plansAFP/Getty “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.“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football.“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.Read More“But our opposition goes far beyond process.“The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders. “This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.Under fire: Gianni InfantinoGetty“Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation. “As a result of today’s discussion, 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.“Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination. “There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.“Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”The FA has confirmed its solidarity with UEFA’s move, saying via a spokesperson: “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.”Football Supporters Europe, the self-described ‘democratic voice of European football fans’, responded on X, writing: “Game over Gianni #InfantinOUT.”UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also joined the dissenting voices, while culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “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.”UEFA’s move comes after Sheikh Salman, president of the Asian Football Confederation, criticised FIFA’s lack of consultation with its members regarding the plans.