UEFA's member associations have decided to boycott FIFA competitions in protest at Gianni Infantino's plan to involve private investment funds in the World Cup. "UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions (including the World Cup)," the European football body said after an emergency online meeting of its 55 members. The strategic meeting was called to counter FIFA president Gianni Infantino's offer of $20 million to each of the 211 member associations, with a deadline of mid-September for acceptance.
Infantino's proposal, made public on Tuesday, would see FIFA's commercial activities spun off in a $20 billion deal, with 20 percent of the shares going to private investors. The lead investor would be a New York-based investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, a close confidant of US President Donald Trump.
In a statement, UEFA said: "It is irresponsible and unjustifiable that a proposal of such importance to football was drafted in secret and brought to a close without any meaningful consultation with those responsible for the governance of the sport. This is not only a serious lack of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA's duty as the guardian of world football."
UEFA described Infantino's offer as "an ultimatum: either accept the irreversible transfer of football's major competitions to private investors, or face the consequences. This is not democratic decision-making, but a form of governance based on intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution tasked with protecting world football." The next competition organised by FIFA will take place in Europe: the U-20 Women's World Cup, which starts on 5 September in Poland.
