UEFA members rejected the proposal submitted by FIFA officials regarding attracting investments through the launch of a new company.
The British newspaper The Athletic reported that UEFA unanimously rejected FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in its major tournaments to private sector investors and threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments if the plan is officially adopted.
The report indicated that the 55 national associations members of UEFA voted during an emergency meeting to boycott the World Cup tournaments if FIFA proceeds with implementing the proposal announced on Tuesday, which involves establishing a commercial company to manage the major tournaments and offering stakes in them to investors.
It pointed out that the potential boycott would include the men's and women's World Cups, as well as the Club World Cup, noting that this step comes within a clear European escalation against the project led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The first practical test of this stance is scheduled to occur if FIFA's proposal receives approval from the member associations next October, when the qualifiers for the Women's World Cup are held.
UEFA affirmed in a statement following the meeting that all its members "stand united," adding: "We unanimously and categorically reject FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private sector investors."
It added: "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product; it is one of football's greatest legacies, built over generations of players, national teams, and fans across different continents, and no part of it should be relinquished to private sector investors under any circumstances. The World Cup is not for sale."
Infantino had sent a message to the 211 national associations members of FIFA, confirming that each association would receive $40 million if it approves the plan, setting September 19 as the final deadline to join the project, while associations that approve before that date could receive an initial payment of $20 million.
According to the plan announced by FIFA, it intends to raise $4.2 billion from external investors by selling non-controlling minority stakes in the new company, emphasizing that the project requires approval from the member national associations first.