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UEFA is expected to hold an emergency meeting this week after FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plans to raise $20 billion through selling stakes in the World Cup to private equity.
FIFA President Infantino wants the game’s governing body to fund the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a newly formed body, by selling commercial and event operation rights to private investors.
However, the plan is already receiving strong opposition, primarily from the most influential continental confederation in FIFA, UEFA.
UEFA may boycott the 2030 FIFA World Cup if Infantino privatizes it
UEFA released a strong statement condemning Infantino’s proposed plans, outlining that the game is not FIFA’s to sell in the first place.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments, and everyone who cares about the future of the game.”
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
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FIFA is expected to work with J.P. Morgan, with potential investors having ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, such as Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law.
ESPN reports that UEFA will discuss a potential boycott of future World Cups to ensure this plan doesn’t go through, as the allure of the World Cup without European nations is not nearly as commercially viable.
Infantino’s plans would greatly enrich smaller confederations and nations if it goes through, but at the cost of the game’s integrity being permanently compromised by private interests.
Expanding the tournament to 48 teams to add extra matches for revenue was a great move, as it also made the spectacle of the World Cup grander.
But moves like this will take one of the purest celebrations of sport and turn it into something that UEFA, and many other traditional fans, want no part of.
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