UEFA formalized its break with competitions organized by FIFA by approving a total boycott as long as the initiative promoted by Gianni Infantino—which would allow private investors to share in World Cup revenue—remains in effect.
The decision was made during a virtual meeting of the 55 federations that make up the European body, all of which unanimously rejected the proposal to transfer ownership rights to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private capital.
As part of the resolution, UEFA confirmed that none of its national teams will participate in FIFA competitions as long as the proposal remains in place. The organization also made any return contingent on the proposal being withdrawn entirely and on binding guarantees that FIFA will not again open up ownership of its competitions or their governance to private investors.
In its statement, UEFA maintained that the World Cup belongs to soccer and made it clear that, as long as Europe has a say, the tournament will not be for sale.
Opposition to the proposal also grew in Asia. The president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, warned his 46 member associations that FIFA’s unilateral actions threaten the very foundations of soccer on the continent and asserted that the initiative cannot move forward without the support of all confederations.
The plan promoted by Gianni Infantino calls for the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary valued at $20 billion, financed with $4.2 billion in private capital. The project would be backed by Thrive Eternal, a New York-based investment vehicle created by Joshua Kushner.
FIFA’s 211 member associations received a proposal to join by September 19, which includes an initial investment of $20 million and a pledge to double base funding for the next four years. In addition, Infantino projected that each federation would receive up to $86 million in funding by 2038.
CONCACAF joined UEFA and the AFC in expressing its stance, stating that it was “deeply concerned about the lack of due process” surrounding the project presented by FIFA.
The debate comes just a few months before Gianni Infantino seeks reelection for a fourth and final term as FIFA president, while various confederations continue to resist the initiative to open up commercial control of the organization’s competitions to private investors.