Europe’s 55 football federations have decided to boycott the World Cup in protest at a FIFA plan to bring private investment into its commercial structure, according to the BBC, The Athletic and other international media. The decision was taken at a virtual meeting of UEFA’s member nations on Thursday.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently proposed setting up a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), under which FIFA’s commercial rights and tournament operations would be merged.
Under the proposal, FIFA wants to raise about US$4.2 billion by selling a stake in the entity — valued at about US$20 billion — to private investors. Potential investors are reported to include a firm associated with Joshua Kushner.
UEFA has opposed the plan from the start. European football’s governing body argues that the running and heritage of the game should not be turned into a commercial product, and that handing the sport’s core structure and control to private investors would run against its interests.
From that position, UEFA’s 55 member nations voted at Thursday’s meeting to boycott the upcoming World Cup.
Under the current schedule, the women’s World Cup is due to be held in Brazil next summer, followed by the men’s World Cup in 2030, co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. If UEFA’s decision takes effect, both tournaments could face a major crisis.
FIFA’s proposal is still awaiting approval from member nations. Sports analysts say UEFA wants to put major pressure on FIFA by threatening a World Cup boycott, which could bring a new turn to talks between the two sides over the proposal.
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