UEFA declares loss of confidence in Infantino after he drops World Cup sale plan

UEFA and its 55 national associations have unanimously voted to boycott all FIFA competitions unless the organization abandons a plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors — a crisis that deepened on Saturday when Europe's football governing body declared it had lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino's leadership.

The Privatization Plan That Sparked a Revolt

FIFA announced on Tuesday that it intended to create a $20 billion subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to consolidate its commercial operations, including broadcast rights, sponsorship, ticketing, and tournament delivery. The organization planned to sell up to 20% of FFE to external investors, aiming to raise $4.2 billion for football development programs worldwide. The lead investor was to be Thrive Eternal, a firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.news.sky+3

FIFA's 211 member associations were given until September 19 to accept a one-time offer of $20 million each to sign on to the plan. But the backlash was swift. UEFA called an emergency meeting on Thursday and issued a forceful statement: "The World Cup is not for sale," declaring that "no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive".espn+2

Infantino Drops the Plan — But Damage Is Done

CONCACAF, representing North and Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal at its own emergency meeting, citing "deep concerns about the lack of due process" and the "artificially short deadline imposed". The Asian Football Confederation similarly rejected the plan.espn+1

Facing opposition from confederations representing more than half of FIFA's member nations, Infantino announced overnight Friday that the proposal would not proceed. But UEFA said the reversal was insufficient. In a statement on Saturday, the European body called the FIFA proposal a "shabby, back room, opaque deal" and said it must "identify those responsible and hold them to account".bloomberg+1

Questions Over Infantino's Future

UEFA's statement went further than opposing a single proposal, declaring that "the current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family". Sources briefed on both the UEFA and CONCACAF meetings told The Athletic that Infantino's future as leader of the global game was openly questioned during discussions.irishnews+1

The English Football Association said it stood "shoulder to shoulder" with its European colleagues. The Premier League joined European leagues in stating that the World Cup should not become a "private equity asset". With UEFA and CONCACAF alone accounting for 90 of FIFA's 211 member associations, the political arithmetic now poses an existential challenge to Infantino's presidency.nytimes+1