The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and all 55 member associations have unanimously rejected the FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
They also threatened to boycott the upcoming editions of the FIFA World Cup if the proposal remains alive.
The initiative named “FIFA Forward Enterprise” aimed to offer around 21% of minority stakes in the World Cup commercial rights to private investors.
However, the plan has now faced a major setback from other football association which declared secretive process as “undemocratic,” “ an act of coercion” and “not merely a failure of leadership but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football.”
In a joint statement released by UEFA on Thursday, July 30, the football governing bodies across the continent stated that the world cup cannot be treated as a product, adding, “It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies, built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent.”
UEFA made it clear that the world cup was not for sale.
The statement continued that the moment private investors get involved, every decision taken will not serve the best interests of the game but the interest of shareholders.
UEFA said: “Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what merely holds in trust for the next generation.”
FIFA is yet to respond to UEFA’s statement.
Can Infantino still move forward?
According to Reuters, despite UEFA’s united opposition, the proposal is not necessarily dead. FIFA President Gianni Infantino could still attempt to negotiate changes to the plan, such as reducing the size of the stake offered or adding stronger governance safeguards to win over critics.
He could also seek backing from FIFA’s other continental confederations before taking the proposal to FIFA’s decision-making bodies, where each of the federation’s 211 member associations has a vote.
However, analysts say pushing ahead without Europe’s support would risk a major governance crisis, particularly after UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the commercialization plan is not abandoned.
