A united European front
UEFA's 55 member associations voted 55-0 at an emergency meeting on Thursday to boycott all FIFA competitions until Gianni Infantino abandons his proposal to sell stakes in tournaments to private investors. In a statement, UEFA declared: 'We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA's proposal.' It warned that the World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product, and criticised what it called 'governance by intimidation', saying associations had been given an ultimatum.[S2][S3][S4]
The first test will be the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup, starting 5 September in Poland; the Polish Football Association says it has received no withdrawal information. Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are the European nations involved. In October, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have Women's World Cup qualifiers for Brazil, and England are preparing for a two-legged play-off against Greece under Sarina Wiegman. The Under-17 Women's World Cup is scheduled for October in Morocco.[S1][S2]
FIFA defends its consultation
FIFA responded on Friday by insisting 'nobody is selling football' and saying the consultation had been 'disrupted by incorrect media reports', but it did not withdraw the plan. Under the proposal, a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, would invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments. Member associations have until 19 September to approve it.[S6][S1]
A JP Morgan document says FIFA's tournaments would expand, with estimated payouts increasing by 24 million euros per member association in the 2035-2039 cycle. The World Cup is described as the 'most widely viewed' sporting event, while FIFA is called 'under-monetised'; the document makes no mention of the women's game. Concacaf, which hosted this year's World Cup, has rejected the proposal along with its 41 member associations, and the Asian Football Confederation says it stands in solidarity.[S1][S5]
Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, resigned, saying the proposal was 'a bad deal for football' and would 'mortgage football's future'. According to FIFA, Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead the investor group.[S1][S6]
Women's game faces the first impact
Former England defender Anita Asante said the first casualties would be women's football tournaments and that FIFA had not considered the implications of its decision. She said it was frustrating for players that World Cup opportunities could not be taken for granted, and she was pleased UEFA had taken a clear position. 'It's taking away what the essence of football is about and tournaments are about,' she added. 'Women could be the casualties here yet again.'[S1]
Baroness Sue Campbell, former FA director of women's football, described the prospect as 'tragic'. She told BBC Sport that she was absolutely supportive of the regional federations standing up for what they believe is right for the sport. 'I'm a great believer sport must be pure,' she said, adding that commercial investment is massively important but must not take over the game.[S1]
At UEFA's emergency meeting, FA chair Debbie Hewitt and chief executive Mark Bullingham both opposed the plan. An FA spokesperson said: 'We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the boycott 'a principled decision that we strongly support' and said football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors.[S2][S3]
