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UEFA threatens boycott
UEFA voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions if FIFA continues with a plan to sell stakes in future competitions to private investors, with UEFA’s 55 member associations meeting at an emergency session on Thursday.
“UEFA's 55 member associations have voted to boycott the World Cup”
UEFA said in a statement that "the World Cup is not for sale," and it added that "no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition" while the proposals remain alive.
FIFA’s plan would create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to consolidate FIFA’s commercial and event operations, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, "Our next stage of growth needs a structure built for it."
The dispute also drew a rejection from CONCACAF, which said its members had "deep concerns" about the lack of due process, the artificially short deadline, and the absence of review or approval by relevant FIFA governance bodies.
Reactions and rival framing
UEFA’s threat was echoed across European coverage, with DW reporting UEFA’s statement that "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product" and that "No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors."
In Germany, Bild reported that key UEFA officials including German FA (DFB) President Bernd Neuendorf had discussed the FIFA plans via a video call, and Neuendorf told ZDF, "I consider this to be extremely problematic and unacceptable."
FIFA defended the project as a "golden opportunity" and said the subsidiary valued at $20 billion would aim to raise up to $4.2 billion "this year" by selecting long-term investors for minority, non-controlling interests.
Boursorama framed UEFA’s move as a direct challenge to FIFA’s commercial-entity project, writing that UEFA threatens to boycott the upcoming World Cups if FIFA does not renounce its plan unveiled on Tuesday.
Deadline and what’s at risk
FIFA said it gave its 211 member associations until September 19 to express written support for the scheme, and it said the approval process would require a simple majority and approval from the FIFA Council.
“until September 19 to express their written support”
Under the plan described by DW, FIFA said it could make $10 billion available for development beginning in 2027, and each federation would be eligible for up to $20 million in one-time Fast Forward funding plus $20 million through the regular FIFA Forward program during the 2027-30 cycle.
UEFA’s position tied participation to FIFA abandoning the project and providing legally binding guarantees that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership, with Franceinfo quoting UEFA’s warning that "From the moment external investors acquire stakes" football changes forever.
Franceinfo also reported that the World Leagues Association (WLA) called on FIFA to withdraw its project and reiterated the need for a fundamental change in FIFA’s decision-making processes, while UEFA said the model has "no place in world football."
