European football has taken a united stand against FIFA’s proposed commercial restructuring, with all 55 UEFA member associations agreeing to boycott the FIFA World Cup and every other FIFA competition unless the governing body withdraws its private investment proposal.
According to The Athletic, the decision was reached during a virtual meeting involving UEFA’s national associations. It marks the strongest resistance yet to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan to open the commercial rights of the World Cup and other major tournaments to outside investors.
UEFA later confirmed the outcome, stating that its members had unanimously opposed the proposal to transfer ownership interests in FIFA competitions.
“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,” the governing body said.
FIFA’s commercial proposal explained
Earlier this week, FIFA unveiled plans to establish a commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The proposed company would oversee the commercial operations of FIFA’s flagship events, including the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Under the proposal, private investors would be allowed to purchase minority ownership stakes in the new entity. FIFA estimates the venture could raise up to $4.2 billion, placing the value of FFE at around $20 billion.
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