Uefa to plunge Fifa into worst crisis ever with boycott and ‘confident’ of ‘majority’ to vote against World Cup sale

UEFA are confident that its member associations will vote against Gianni Infantino’s controversial World Cup plans. Earlier this week it emerged that the under-fire Fifa president wants to create a sister company to take charge of its tournaments, including the World Cup, before selling off chunks of the new subsidiary. Gianni Infantino’s controversial plans have turned football on its head Credit: Alamy Infantino, 56, watched the World Cup final alongside US president Donald Trump Credit: Getty Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin immediately slammed the plans, releasing a statement claiming that Fifa had “crossed the line”. European football’s governing body is set to host a virtual meeting with its member associations today. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! And according to the New York Post, Uefa chiefs are “very confident” that more than 50 of its 55 nations will vote against Fifa’s plans. Fifa claim that they only need a majority of their 211 member associations to vote in favour of the plans for them to go through – meaning they can still launch the Fifa Forward Enterprise without Uefa’s backing. But European nations could confirm a boycott of Fifa tournaments later today, which would plunge the World Cup into crisis. This would theoretically see the next edition of world football’s biggest event without the likes of England, France and Spain. It would also significantly weaken the next Club World Cup, which is due to take place in 2029. Infantino, 56, reportedly wants to receive $4.2billion (£3.1bn) of funding for the project as soon as October. Most read in Football Fifa are said to have brought US bank JPMorgan onboard in an advisory capacity. Should plans be given the green light, Thrive Eternal, whose CEO Joshua Kushner is Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s brother, are tipped to purchase a 20 per cent stake. Infantino has developed a close relationship with Trump amid this summer’s World Cup, with the pair even watching the final together from a suite. Last year Infantino awarded the US president inaugural Fifa Peace Prize. Fifa claim their 211 Member Associations stand to gain $40m (£30m) each if they signed up to the Forward Enterprise proposal within 53 days. MORE FOLLOWS…- Comment now