UEFA votes 55-0 to boycott FIFA World Cups

UEFA’s 55 member associations unanimously backed a boycott of FIFA competitions if private investment in World Cups is approved.

Europe’s football governing body decided during an emergency virtual meeting convened to discuss FIFA’s proposal to establish a commercial subsidiary that would allow external investors to acquire minority stakes in its flagship competitions.

If FIFA’s member associations approve the proposal, UEFA says its members will boycott all FIFA-organised tournaments, including the men’s FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. The first major event that could be affected is the Women’s World Cup play-offs scheduled for October.

The meeting, chaired by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, ended with all 55 member associations united in opposition to the proposal.

In a statement issued after the meeting, UEFA said it and its members “stand as one.”

“We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.”

The European governing body maintained that the World Cup should never become a commercial asset for private investors.

“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”

England’s Football Association endorsed UEFA’s position.

A Football Association spokeswoman said England stood “shoulder to shoulder” with its “European colleagues” and “fully support the collective view.”

She added:

“We oppose Fifa’s plans – the Fifa World Cup belongs to football and always will.”

The Scottish Football Association also backed the decision, saying its board “agrees unequivocally with the concerns raised by all members over the manner in which these proposals have been issued, and deadline set, without a full consultation process or consideration to good governance.”

Although UEFA accounts for only 55 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, Europe remains the dominant force in world football. European countries have won 13 of the 23 FIFA World Cups, while six of the eight quarter-finalists at this year’s Women’s World Cup—including champions Spain—were from Europe.

FIFA’s proposal seeks to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial subsidiary that would oversee the commercial rights and event operations of its major competitions. External investors would be allowed to purchase minority, non-controlling stakes in the entity.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reportedly told all 211 member associations they would receive US$40 million if they support the proposal, with an initial US$20 million available to associations that approve the plan before the September 19 deadline.

If approved, American venture capital firm Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group behind FFE. The company was founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, FIFA sources have denied reports that Infantino or any FIFA official would become chief executive of the proposed subsidiary.

UEFA also criticised the process through which the proposal was developed, describing it as “irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret” and “without any meaningful consultation.”

It added:

“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.”

UEFA further argued that FIFA was pressuring national associations into accepting the proposal.

“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences.”

The statement concluded:

“This is not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.”