UEFA announces boycott of FIFA events over proposed World Cup private-equity deal
UEFA's 55 member associations will not take part in FIFA competitions after the governing body rejected Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
UEFA said its national associations will withdraw from all FIFA competitions following an urgent online meeting of its 55 member federations. The decision comes as FIFA President Gianni Infantino seeks approval for a $20 million offer to each of FIFA's 211 members, tied to a proposal to spin off commercial operations into a new $20 billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, 20% of which would be owned by private-equity investors.
The European body warned that “some things are simply too important to sell” and that the World Cup “belongs to football” and will never be for sale while Europe has a voice. UEFA added that external ownership would turn football into a commercial venture subject to investor pressure.
Infantino had written to the 211 members, stating that approval of the plan would double their basic funding from $10 million to $20 million per year and increase projected contributions to $86 million through 2038. He described the initiative as a way to “turbocharge” funding for global soccer development.
UEFA officials said the boycott will remain in effect unless the proposal is fully withdrawn and binding guarantees are provided that FIFA will not again open its governance or competitions to private ownership. The next FIFA tournament, the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland, is scheduled to begin on Sept. 5.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football,” UEFA said in its statement.
The move adds to growing dissent within the sport, with three of the six continental confederations expressing concern over the financial gamble and its potential impact on Infantino’s re-election bid scheduled for March 2025.