Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino pushed for the establishment of a subsidiary, "FIFA Forward Enterprise," with the intention of introducing private investors and selling commercial equity in flagship events such as the World Cup. This unilateral action has drawn strong reactions and close attention from continental football federations and member associations worldwide. Earlier, Sky Sports chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol published a column revealing more details from Thursday's UEFA emergency meeting and providing a comprehensive analysis of the event.
UEFA announced on Thursday that it will boycott all FIFA-sponsored competitions until President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell his stake in the World Cup is completely halted. This decision, made after an emergency meeting of UEFA's 55 member associations, could have a disruptive impact on world football and Infantino's plans.
The emergency online meeting of UEFA members lasted two hours, with all participants publicly opposing Gianni Infantino's sale plan. This included FA President and FIFA Vice President Debbie Hewitt, and FA Chief Executive Mark Brynham. All 55 UEFA associations voted in favor of the action, including the Football Associations of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland.
Some associations have issued separate statements expressing their support. The English Football Association stated: "We stand with our European colleagues and fully support this collective decision. We oppose FIFA's plan. The World Cup belongs to football, and always will be."
To make matters worse for Infantino, the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football) also rejected the proposal. They convened a meeting of its 41 member associations and expressed “deep concern” in a statement, citing that “the relevant FIFA governing bodies have not reviewed or approved the plan.”
The statement also outlined a series of action points in response to Infantino's plans, but made no mention of a boycott plan like UEFA's. Even so, this is the first time a continental football federation has announced a boycott of FIFA events.
Why did UEFA take this action?
This is tantamount to UEFA sending a clear signal to Infantino: "Enough is enough. We will not let you do this. Even if you think you have enough votes to push forward these controversial proposals, as long as you persist, we will not participate in any future FIFA events."
The next major tournament is the Women's World Cup in Brazil next summer, and as things stand, no European countries will participate. The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, and European countries will again not participate. UEFA's move is intended to demonstrate internal unity and show their complete and utter opposition to Infantino's proposal to sell his stake in the World Cup.
If the conflict between UEFA and FIFA escalates into a serious split—which I don't think will happen—UEFA might even consider: "We've done an excellent job running the Champions League and the European Championship, so why not create our own 'World Cup' and invite the top teams from Argentina, Brazil, Africa, and Asia to participate?"
Will this stop Infantino's plans?
The answer is yes. Because if I were an investor planning to acquire a 20% stake in FIFA events, why would I invest in a competition without European teams? Look at the recently concluded World Cup: six of the quarter-finalists were European teams, three of the semi-finalists were European teams, and the eventual champion was also a European team.
Without powerhouses like Spain, France, England, Italy, and Germany, who would invest in Infantino's outrageous plan? The proposal has already died in its infancy. We don't know what Infantino will do next; he's currently hiding in his "ivory tower" in Zurich, giving interviews to his subordinates and trying to promote the project.
But if I were an investor, upon seeing UEFA's response, I would definitely think, "Perhaps I should change my investment strategy, because Infantino simply cannot deliver on his promises."
What will happen next?
First, Infantino must provide a reasonable explanation. Potential investors and bankers will call to question him about his inability to secure European support; FIFA Council members, continental football federations, and national football association officials will also inquire about his alleged conspiracy to sell World Cup shares. As for the boycott, UEFA and FA-affiliated teams will face their first test in October – the Women's World Cup playoffs.
During the October international break, England will face Greece, along with 15 other playoff matches. Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland will also participate in the first round of playoffs. These two-legged matches will be played on October 9th and 13th, with the winners advancing to the second round in November and December.
The situation is similar for the U20 Women's World Cup, but the timing is particularly unfortunate for European countries. The tournament is scheduled to open on September 5th in Poland and end on September 27th. Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain have already qualified.
What are the positions of other continental football federations?
There are six continental football federations in the world. It is clear that UEFA is firmly opposed to the plan and will stop it at all costs.
We know that the CONCACAF (Confederation of North and Central American Football), which governs football in North and Central America, also opposes the move. They issued a statement on Wednesday expressing "deep concern and disappointment at the lack of transparency," and further condemned the decision after a meeting on Thursday. The AFC (Asian Football Confederation), a staunch supporter of Infantino, also stated: "We are equally concerned. Why were we not consulted beforehand?"
It's clear that Infantino is losing the support of continental football federations, but I believe that many of the 211 football associations worldwide will still say, "Infantino has quadrupled the funding we receive from FIFA, and now he says we'll receive an additional $20 million (approximately £14.9 million) next January, and three times the current amount in the future." But even their support won't help; without UEFA and European teams, a true World Cup cannot be held.
"Infantino is more disliked than Blatter."
One thing I don't understand about Infantino is: why does he insist on portraying himself as a controversial figure?
He is already the most powerful person in world football. As the president of FIFA, and the recently concluded World Cup was hailed as "the best World Cup in history," he should be at the pinnacle of power and revered. However, the reality is that he is even more disliked than Sepp Blatter (the former FIFA president). Some in the world of football are even beginning to miss the days when Blatter was FIFA president.
What exactly is he doing? Why is he getting involved with the Trump family? Why is he selling his stake in the World Cup? Can't he just do his job properly and manage world football? Why does he have to be a controversial figure, acting like a president, an oligarch, or a politician—but in the end, he's just the "custodian" of world football.
