Lead

European football's governing body, UEFA, and its 55 member federations have agreed to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in protest at President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors. The decision was announced after an urgent online meeting of UEFA members, with the organisation stating: "UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions."

The boycott threat is a direct response to Infantino's proposal, revealed on Tuesday, to spin off FIFA's commercial operations into a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), valued at $US20 billion, with 20 per cent owned by private investors. The core investor would be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from ABC Australia, Al Jazeera, France 24, and the South China Morning Post all confirm that UEFA member federations agreed to the boycott during a meeting of its 55 members. The BBC's coverage also notes the boycott threat, while adding analysis of the potential impact on FIFA competitions. A separate report from ABC Australia indicates that UEFA has gone further, threatening FIFA with legal action over the plan.

The proposed deal, which offered each of FIFA's 211 member federations one-off payments of $US20 million if accepted by mid-September, has sparked widespread opposition. UEFA's statement was unequivocal: "Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale."

Key Claims

  • UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions, as announced after an urgent online meeting of its 55 member nations.
  • The boycott is in protest at FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors.
  • Infantino's proposal, revealed on Tuesday, involves spinning off FIFA's commercial operations into a new $US20 billion subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), 20 per cent owned by private investors, with the core investor being a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner.
  • The next scheduled FIFA tournament is the Women's Under-20 World Cup, hosted by Poland from September 5.
  • UEFA has also threatened FIFA with legal action, with its lawyers informing FIFA that the European body is "actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints" in connection with the FFE plan. The letter named 18 FIFA executives, including Infantino, who should retain potential evidence.

Perspectives

UEFA

UEFA has taken a hard line against the proposal, calling it "not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football." The organisation has threatened legal action and is reportedly looking for an alternative candidate to challenge Infantino in the next FIFA presidential election, scheduled for March.

FIFA and Gianni Infantino

Infantino has presented the private equity offer as a way to "turbocharge" football development funding, projecting that member federations could receive up to $US86 million each through 2038. However, the proposal was withdrawn on Saturday, days after media reports revealed it, according to an ABC Australia report. FIFA has not publicly commented on the boycott threat.

Other confederations

According to the BBC, support for FIFA and Infantino has also been shaken in Asia and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean). The BBC report notes reactions from these confederations, though specific details were not provided in the extracts.