UEFA Threatens to Boycott World Cup if FIFA Continues to Sell Shares

JAKARTA - The European Football Confederation (UEFA) has threatened to boycott the World Cup if the World Football Association (FIFA) continues to sell shares of the tournament to private investors.

"As a result of today's discussions, no UEFA member national team will participate in any FIFA competition as long as this proposal is in place," UEFA said in a statement on Thursday.

UEFA explained that they were ready to stop boycotting FIFA if the proposal to sell World Cup shares to private investors was actually canceled.

"UEFA and its 55 member associations are united. We reject in a unanimous and decisive manner FIFA's proposal to transfer the ownership rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors," UEFA's official statement read, Thursday.

According to UEFA, the World Cup should not be treated as an investment product and this is one of the greatest sporting legacies in football.

This is the official statement of UEFA which was uploaded on the official X account of the organization. (Source X: @uefa)

UEFA considers that this legacy has been built across generations by players, national teams, and supporters across the continent so that no part of it can be handed over to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.

UEFA considers it to be a truly irresponsible and unjustifiable act that this proposal, which is so important for football, was designed in secret and almost approved without meaningful consultation with the parties entrusted to manage this sport.

"There are things that are too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It will always be so. And as long as Europe still has a voice, this event will never be sold," still in the official UEFA statement quoted by Antara.

Previously, FIFA President Gianni Infantino planned to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors.

The sale is through a scheme that could lead to the formation of a company to manage FIFA's most prestigious men's and women's tournaments, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup.

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