European football’s 55 member associations have voted to boycott World Cups if the sport’s governing body proceeds with a plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.
The decision was made at an emergency meeting called to discuss the proposals announced earlier this week by Fifa, which oversees world football.
Uefa, which governs European football, had already made its opposition clear by releasing two damning statements – and that strength of feeling has been reaffirmed.
The boycott would cover all Fifa competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cup, and be triggered if Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s proposals are voted through by member associations.
The first time this stance will be tested at a senior tournament is October, when the Women’s World Cup play-offs are due to be held.
In a statement released after the meeting, which was held virtually and chaired by president Aleksander Ceferin, Uefa said it and its 55 member associations “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,” it said.
“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.”
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.”
While Uefa only accounts for a quarter of Fifa’s 211-country membership, it does include most of the world’s most successful teams.
Six of the eight quarter-finalists – including winners Spain – at this summer’s World Cup were European. In the 2022 and 2018 editions, the figures were five and six respectively.
Of the 23 World Cups to have taken place to date, 13 have been won by European countries.
Fifa wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.
It said it would “invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments” in a new subsidiary – Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) – to “consolidate” its commercial and event operations.
Infantino wrote to all 211 Fifa member associations saying they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed his controversial proposal.
The Swiss set a deadline of 19 September for football federations to accept his plans if they wanted to access an initial $20m (£15m).
The Women’s Under-20 World Cup, which will take place in Poland, starts on 5 September.
The plan still needs to be passed by a vote of Fifa members. But if approval is granted, Fifa says Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.
Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared.
Fifa sources have told BBC Sport there has been no discussion over Infantino, or anyone else, becoming chief executive of FFE.
On Wednesday, Uefa accused Fifa of using football “to enrich themselves and their friends”.
Its statement on Thursday was even more damning, calling it “irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret” and “without any meaningful consultation” with those who steward the game.
It added: “This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.
“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences
“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.”
By BBC Sports
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