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UEFA ends Infantino trust
UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino after FIFA withdrew its plan to sell a stake in competitions organised by FIFA, including the World Cup, to private entities.
“UEFA welcomes FIFA’s decision to withdraw its plan to sell a stake in its competitions – including the World Cup – into private hands.”
In its statement, UEFA said the proposal was “unanimously rejected” by UEFA’s national associations and by “many other federations and confederations of all sizes around the world”.
UEFA also framed the dispute as a governance crisis, saying “The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”
UEFA said it would work with its associations and other confederations in the coming days and weeks to examine how the plan took shape and to devise safeguards so it cannot occur again.
The European body linked its demand for accountability to Infantino’s 2016 promises about transparency and the use of FIFA funds for football development rather than other purposes.
Quotes from UEFA and CONCACAF
UEFA’s criticism of the process centered on secretive, rushed planning, with the European body saying, “We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game.”
UEFA added, “We must identify those responsible and hold them to account,” as it said the review should be thorough and fundamental with “No option should be off the table.”
CONCACAF, in a statement carried by Le Soir, said the proposal “does not reach this stage by chance,” describing it as “the symptom of a direction that has ceased to give football priority.”
Le Soir also quoted CONCACAF saying the “unilateral and flagrant act of poor governance and lack of leadership” requires a “thorough review of this direction” through FIFA statutes and established procedures.
The Globe and Mail reported that UEFA’s 55 members had unanimously rejected the proposal earlier this week, and that UEFA called FIFA’s retreat “a ‘victory for the whole game’” while saying the “task of rebuilding trust in FIFA” had only just begun.
What happens next for FIFA
UEFA said the withdrawal of the plan was “a victory for the whole game,” but insisted the dispute was not over because “The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.”
“UEFA, whose 55 members had unanimously rejected the proposal earlier this week, declared FIFA’s retreat a “victory for the whole game””
UEFA said it would propose “a new way of distributing resources through the existing FIFA Forward programme,” and argued it should begin using money “sat idle in FIFA’s bank account” for grassroots and the wider game.
In the same statement, UEFA said it wanted to start delivering the “kick start” in each of the “211 countries of FIFA,” while adding that it “don’t need to sell off the family silver to pay for it.”
The Globe and Mail reported that FIFA and Infantino declined to comment on UEFA’s statement, while it noted that UEFA reminded Infantino about promises from 2016 on transparency and treating FIFA funds as belonging to member associations.
The Globe and Mail also said the backlash raised questions about Infantino’s political capital as he prepares to seek another term, with the controversy emerging after his plan was announced on Tuesday and then abandoned early Saturday.
