UEFA Threatens to Boycott World Cup due to Infantino's Controversial Plans

; dok. fif) FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) and US President Donald Trump.(photo: fifa)

JAKARTA - Relations between UEFA and FIFA have heated up again after the European football body is rumored to be holding an emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of boycotting the World Cup if FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to sell part of the ownership of the world's most prestigious commercial business. tournament.

British media reports say FIFA is preparing to form a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise that will manage the commercial rights of the World Cup and the Club World Cup. Through this scheme, FIFA plans to sell up to 20 percent of the company's shares to private investors.

The move is expected to generate more than 3 billion pounds for FIFA. However, the plan immediately drew harsh criticism from UEFA, who assessed that football should not be treated as an investment asset.

In its official statement, UEFA said the proposal had crossed the line.

"This crosses a line that should never be crossed by a football governing body. UEFA takes this matter very seriously," the organization said in a statement.

UEFA also called on all national football associations, leagues, clubs, players, supporters and governments to pay attention to the impact of the plan.

"The future and the governance of football are not assets that can be traded. No one owns football. FIFA is not the owner who has the right to sell it," the statement continued.

According to a report by Sky News quoted by British media, UEFA member associations are scheduled to hold an emergency virtual meeting this week. One of the agendas to be discussed is the possibility of boycotting the World Cup if FIFA continues to carry out the plan.

If the boycott really happens, major European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal have the potential not to take part in the 2030 World Cup, which will be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

The report also said the English Football Association (FA) did not know of FIFA's plans before the news broke to the public.

The dispute between UEFA and FIFA has actually been going on for some time. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin had previously criticized FIFA's decision to lift the ban on playing US striker Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup after communication between Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump.

Ceferin even did not attend the 2026 World Cup final despite coming to the opening match of the tournament.

On the other hand, FIFA insists that the restructuring is aimed at strengthening funding for all of its member associations.

Infantino said the new business structure would allow the commercial side of football to be managed more focused so that its economic value could be shared more widely with all FIFA members.

"Every FIFA member association must have the opportunity to obtain a fair share of funding to build its own future. This is about democratizing football around the world," Infantino said.

The report also mentions that investment company Thrive Capital is the main candidate for investors in the project. Thrive Capital CEO, Joshua Kushner, is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

The plan has also been criticized by the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who insists that the World Cup is not a marketable product.

"Football does not belong to investors. Football belongs to the people who fill the stadiums every week. The World Cup is not a product that can be sold," Burnham wrote via social media X.

Former Liverpool player Stan Collymore has even suggested UEFA should consider breaking away from FIFA, arguing the world game's power is currently in Europe.

However, in terms of the organizational structure of FIFA, the plan can still be passed if it receives the support of a majority of the 211 FIFA member associations around the world. This means that the rejection of all UEFA members is not necessarily enough to thwart the proposal.

However, if European countries really boycott the World Cup, the move is expected to put a lot of pressure on FIFA given Europe's dominance in international football competitions, both in terms of achievements, commercial value and global fan base.