The conflict roiling world football—sparked by FIFA’s plan to sell shares of the World Cup to investors—reached a critical juncture on Thursday following a meeting of the 55 federations that make up UEFA. National teams will withdraw from FIFA-organized tournaments if the sport’s governing body proceeds with the project to sell the World Cup’s commercial rights to private entities. “No UEFA national team will participate in any FIFA competition while these proposals remain on the table,” the European confederation confirmed in a statement.
“Some things are too important to be sold. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And as long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale,” the confederation—presided over by Slovenian Aleksander Čeferin—asserted in a message released via its website.
“The World Cup cannot be viewed as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations through the efforts of players, national teams, and fans across every continent. No part of it should ever be handed over to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale,” they insisted.
The European body’s lengthy statement emphasized the firm stance taken against FIFA’s proposal: “National federations around the world now face an ultimatum: accept the irreversible takeover of football’s most important competitions or face the consequences. This is not a ‘democratic decision,’ but rather governance based on intimidation—an act of coercion unworthy of an institution charged with managing world football.”
