UEFA statement puts FIFA on course for World Cup humiliation | Football | Sport
Gianni Infantino’s plan for FIFA has driven a wedge through football (Image: Alex Grimm – FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images)
The U20 Women’s World Cup has been thrown into chaos by UEFA’s pledge to boycott FIFA competitions. Gianni Infantino’s latest plans around the future of football has evoked a titanic response from the governing body of European football.
This could then result in collateral damage to the aforementioned competition, which begins on September 5 and finishes on September 27. UEFA currently have six nations set to compete, including tournament hosts Poland. There is now doubt about how it will run after UEFA pledged to boycott all FIFA competitions until Infantino’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions is quashed. If UEFA’s actions are as serious as their words in the statement, it’s difficult to see how the competition will be able to adapt.
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Poland, Italy, England, Portugal, France and Spain are all expected to take part. The remaining participants are Argentina, Mexico, Benin, Japan, New Zealand, the USA, Brazil, Tanzania, Canada, North Korea, Costa Rica, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, New Caledonia and China.
At this stage, the tournament’s fate remains uncertain. UEFA has made its position clear, stating it has no plans to represent any of its member nations in FIFA competitions while this proposal remains on the table. Given that Infantino’s firm deadline for expressing backing is September 19, the boycott could well continue until that date and potentially beyond. The Swiss football chief has also maintained his proposal requires support from just over 50 per cent of FIFA’s membership to proceed.
With 55 nations having declared their strong opposition to the plan, Infantino has already forfeited a substantial proportion of potential backing. That said, other confederations including CONCACAF (North American nations), CONMEBOL (South American), the CAF (African Confederation) and Oceania have yet to reveal their stance.
What is abundantly clear from UEFA’s intervention is that they want the proposal crushed without delay. In their statement, they wrote: “UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions. UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.
The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup could be disrupted (Image: Mateusz Slodkowski – FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images)
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.
“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football.
“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a “democratic decision”, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.
“But our opposition goes far beyond process. The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.
North Korea are the defending champions of the competition (Image: Hector Vivas – FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images)
“This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain. Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation.
“As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership. Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination.
“There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments. Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”
