FAI joins Uefa nations in World Cup boycott
The Football Association of Ireland and other UEFA members have threatened to boycott FIFA competitions. This action is in response to FIFA's proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in the World Cup to private equity investors.
Why it matters
A boycott by European nations would significantly devalue FIFA's commercial assets and could force a major shift in the governance of global football.
The Football Association of Ireland is joining the rest of Uefa ’s national associations in boycotting all Fifa competitions over plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private-equity firms.
Fifa asked its member associations on Tuesday to approve a plan to transfer the commercial interests of the World Cup and all other Fifa competitions to a new subsidiary, up to 20 per cent of which would be sold to private investors.
But in what marks an extraordinary rupture in global football , Uefa’s 55 members issued a statement following a meeting on Thursday to say they are boycotting Fifa competitions until the proposals are abandoned and binding assurances are given that they will not be resurrected.
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