UEFA Nations To Boycott FIFA Competitions Over Private Investment Plans

UEFA and its 55 national associations have unanimously rejected FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.

Following discussions on Thursday, UEFA confirmed that its member associations will not enter their national teams into FIFA competitions while the proposal remains under consideration.

European national teams would only return once the plans had been withdrawn completely and FIFA had provided binding assurances that its governance and competitions would not be opened to private ownership in the future.

In a strongly worded joint statement, UEFA and its associations argued that the World Cup should not be treated as an investment product, describing the competition as a sporting legacy created over generations by players, national teams and supporters.

“The World Cup is not for sale,” the statement said.

UEFA also criticised the process through which the proposal had been developed, claiming it had been conceived without meaningful consultation with the organisations responsible for governing and administering the game.

The European governing body said national associations were effectively being asked to accept the permanent involvement of private investors in football’s leading competitions or face the consequences of opposing the proposal.

Its concerns also extend beyond the governance process. UEFA believes the introduction of external ownership would place commercial returns and shareholder expectations at the centre of decisions concerning competition formats, the international calendar and the wider development of the game.

It argued that the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters must not become secondary to the financial expectations of investors.

UEFA said it would not give the proposed model legitimacy and insisted football’s competitions were held in trust for future generations rather than assets that could be sold by their current custodians.

The statement concluded that UEFA and its associations would oppose the proposals with “absolute determination”, adding that the FIFA World Cup belongs to football and should never be surrendered to private investors.