UEFA says it no longer has confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the collapse of a controversial proposal to sell private investors stakes in major FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
FIFA abandons private-investment proposal
The plan triggered widespread opposition across global football, with UEFA leading the rejection. FIFA has since withdrawn the scheme following its failure to win support.
UEFA has described the abandoned proposal as a vote of no confidence in Infantino’s leadership, accusing the FIFA president of failing to honour previous commitments.
UEFA condemns Infantino’s approach
In a strongly worded statement, UEFA said it had “lost confidence” in FIFA’s leadership and criticised what it called Infantino’s “broken promises”.
The European governing body also attacked the way the proposal was developed and presented, saying the “shabby, back room, opaque deal” Infantino created and attempted to impose was the opposite of a transparent process.
Football organisations unite against the scheme
UEFA welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon its attempt to place interests in its competitions, including the World Cup, in private ownership.
- UEFA’s national associations rejected the proposal unanimously.
- Many other federations and confederations, large and small, also opposed the plan.
- Those organisations said their responsibility was to safeguard football.
UEFA said the resistance extended beyond football’s governing institutions. It thanked fans, leagues, clubs, players, individuals, associations and confederations that challenged the proposal.
The organisation also pointed to support from numerous prime ministers, heads of state and commentators, who had made clear to Infantino that football should not be treated as an asset available for sale.
