UEFA confirm plan to boycott World Cup if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with sell-off plan
UEFA and its 55 member nations have threatened to boycott FIFA World Cup tournaments if Gianni Infantino proceeds with plans to sell shares of the competition to private investors. The governing body views the World Cup as a sporting legacy that should not be treated as a commercial product.
Why it matters
A potential boycott by European nations would significantly undermine the commercial and sporting viability of the World Cup, creating a major crisis in global football governance.
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COMMENTS England, its fellow UEFA nations and CONCACAF have unanimously voted to boycott the upcoming men’s and women’s World Cups if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with plans to sell off shares in the tournament to private investors.
UEFA’s 55 member nations held a virtual crisis meeting on Thursday to discuss Infantino’s recently announced plans to privatise and sell shares in the World Cup .
The move has triggered massive controversy on a par with that which followed plans to launch a European Super League in 2021 . Infantino gave FIFA’s 211 member nations until September 19 to ratify the plans, which would see approving countries a funding windfall.
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