‘Nobody is selling football’: FIFA hit back as Europe vows to boycott World Cup

FIFA insist their plan to sell stakes in football’s biggest tournaments will “not come at the cost of the spirit or governance” of the sport, as the organisation prepares for the impact of European nations threats to boycott upcoming FIFA-run competitions.

An urgent meeting held on Friday (AEST) by UEFA ended in all 55 of its member nations electing to boycott any further FIFA run tournaments, including the World Cup, as a result of Gianni Infantino’s private equity investment proposal.

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It is a major call by arguably the most powerful continental football association since they are accountable for the majority of football’s economic development.

The next scheduled FIFA tournament is within weeks in Europe — the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland from September 5 — and the four British federations comprise FIFA’s only bidder to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. That decision is due on November 23.

“Some things are simply too important to sell,” UEFA said in a statement.

“The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

But FIFA has since released a statement to dispel “incorrect reports” about their proposal, declaring “nobody is selling football.”

“That is not something FIFA would ever entertain,” FIFA’s statement read.

“We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA (Member Association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts.

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“Everyone has the right to express their opposition and to seek further clarification but no single entity can claim to represent all 211 MAs. Each MA should be allowed to review the proposal and have a say in shaping their own future. These are the democratic principles of FIFA.”

FIFA confirmed that if a majority vote does not fall in their favour on September 19, the subsidiary, called FIFA’s Forward Enterprise (FFE), would not be established.

UEFA’s meeting came just hours after FIFA President Infantino warned nations could risk being cut out of the organisation’s funding model if they did not accept his proposal by September 19.

Infantino’s secret project was revealed on Tuesday to spin off its commercial operations in a $28 billion AUD subsidiary that would be 20 per cent owned by private investors.

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The core investor would be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of USA President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Infantino wrote on Tuesday to the 211 members — already the effective owners of FIFA as a non-profit association under Swiss law — that if they approved FFE their promised $14.23m basic funding for the next four years would double to $28.46m.

He projected their FIFA funding through 2038 would be $122.37 million each, instead of about $51.22 million.

“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football,” said UEFA, where Infantino was a long-time staffer and its CEO-like general secretary when he was first elected to lead FIFA in 2016.

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Infantino’s presidency at risk?

Infantino’s high-stakes financial gambit now could threaten his previously secure 11-year presidency of FIFA as anger and frustration with him rises among football stakeholders including three of the six continental bodies.

FIFA has set a November 18 deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members scheduled next March in Rabat, Morocco.

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Infantino had seemed — 11 days ago after the World Cup final — to have a clear path to being re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term in office through 2031, despite a furore over letting US forward Folarin Balogun play against Belgium despite a red card in his previous game.

Football officials have said privately Infantino has eyed a lucrative commissioner-like role at the FFE spinoff beyond 2031.

“Game over, Gianni #InfantinOUT,” the Football Supporters Europe group, which advises UEFA on fan issues such as ticket prices, posted after the boycott threat.

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