European football’s governing body convened an urgent online session with all 55 of its national associations to discuss a controversial proposal from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
In a unanimous move, the UEFA members announced they would boycott every FIFA competition until the plan is withdrawn, arguing that the World Cup belongs to the sport and cannot be put up for sale.
The Private‑Equity Blueprint
Infantino outlined a scheme that would spin off FIFA’s commercial operations into a new subsidiary, valued at roughly $20 billion, with a 20 percent stake earmarked for private investors.
The core backer of the transaction is a New York‑based investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, whose family has close ties to the Trump administration.
UEFA condemned the proposal as a profound failure of leadership, saying it represents an abdication of FIFA’s responsibility as the custodian of world football and would bind the sport to perpetual investor expectations.
Around four dozen UEFA delegates voiced anger that the federation’s multi‑billion‑dollar reserves are being sidelined in favor of a private‑equity model that could reshape funding for development programs.
The dispute comes at a time when the next major tournament on the calendar is the Women’s Under‑20 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by Poland in early September.