UEFA nations agree to boycott all FIFA competitions following Infantino's landmark plan to sell stakes to private investors
UEFA and its 55 member associations have threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions in response to Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a 20% stake in FIFA's commercial rights to private investors. UEFA argues that football's governance should not be dictated by financial returns or private ownership.
Why it matters
This represents a major governance crisis in global sports that could jeopardize the future of the Women's and Men's World Cups.
UEFA has asserted that its 55 member associations will not participate in FIFA competitions as long as Gianni Infantino's shock plan to sell off parts of World Cup rights to private investors exists. Their emphatic move comes after a series of statements and mixed reactions from football federations around the world - who were reportedly kept in the dark as to FIFA's decision-making.
On Wednesday morning, Infantino announced that he had unilaterally decided to make a separate company for FIFA's commercial rights , dubbed FIFA Forward Enterprises, of which around 20 percent could be for purchase by private investors.
His announcement, made without informing FIFA's six confederations, sent shockwaves around the football world. UEFA called an emergency meeting for Thursday, and there agreed to boycott all FIFA competitions.
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