UEFA threatens FIFA World Cup boycott over Infantino's $20B investor plan

FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup and other competitions to private equity investors has faced a major setback after UEFA announced a boycott. UEFA held an urgent online meeting with representatives from its 55 member nations to discuss FIFA's proposal. After the meeting, UEFA announced that all its national associations will boycott FIFA competitions if the investor plan moves ahead.UEFA has threatened to boycott FIFA competitions over Gianni Infantino's $20 billion investor plan. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration) (REUTERS)UEFA said, "UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions." The next FIFA tournament affected by the boycott could be the Women's Under-20 World Cup, which is scheduled to begin in Poland on September 5. UEFA strongly opposed the idea of selling ownership in football competitions and said, "Some things are simply too important to sell", as per UEFA statement.FIFA investor planUEFA also said, "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 emergency meeting was called after FIFA asked its 211 member associations to approve the investment proposal by mid-September. According to AP, FIFA wants to create a new commercial company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The new company would be valued at $20 billion, with 20% ownership going to private investors.AP reported that the main investor is expected to be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is US President Donald Trump's son-in-law. FIFA President Gianni Infantino told member associations that approving the plan would double their basic FIFA funding for the next four years. Under the proposal, each FIFA member would receive $20 million instead of $10 million in basic funding over the next four years.Also read: Leopold Aschenbrenner's Situational Awareness unwinds hedge fund with up to $24B after leveraged AI bets failFunding offer explainedInfantino also projected that each member association would receive about $86 million by 2038, compared with roughly $36 million under the current system. UEFA accused FIFA's leadership of failing to protect the sport. UEFA said, "This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football."The dispute is significant because Infantino worked at UEFA for many years before becoming FIFA president in 2016. AP reported that the controversy could now put Infantino's presidency under pressure, even though he had previously looked set for another term. FIFA has set November 18 as the deadline for candidates to enter the next presidential election. The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March next year in Rabat, Morocco.Infantino under pressureBefore this controversy, Infantino was widely expected to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term, which would run until 2031. According to AP, some football officials privately believe Infantino hopes to take a commissioner-style role at FIFA Forward Enterprise after 2031. Fan group Football Supporters Europe, which advises UEFA on issues like ticket prices, reacted strongly to the boycott announcement. The group posted, "Game over, Gianni #InfantinOUT" via AP. UEFA said its biggest concern is that private investors would influence football decisions once they own part of FIFA competitions.UEFA warned, "The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever." UEFA added, "Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure." Infantino has defended the proposal by saying it would "turbocharge" funding for football development around the world.UEFA boycott warningMany of FIFA's 211 member associations depend heavily on FIFA funding, making the proposal financially attractive, as reported by AP. During UEFA's emergency meeting, officials from around 40 member associations spoke and criticized FIFA's plan. Several UEFA officials questioned why FIFA is seeking private investment instead of using its existing multi-billion-dollar financial reserves to expand development funding.UEFA ended the meeting by confirming that its national teams will not take part in any FIFA competition while the proposal remains active. UEFA said the boycott would continue unless FIFA completely drops the proposal and gives binding assurances that it will never allow private ownership of its governance or competitions in the future.