The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has decided to boycott all competitions of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
Modern.az reports that the decision was caused by FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to give a part of the commercial rights of the World Cup to private investors. All 55 national associations included in UEFA supported the boycott decision.
UEFA believes that it is unacceptable to treat the World Cup as an investment product and to transfer the rights of the tournament to private capital. According to the position of the European football p, such a step can fundamentally change the future of sports by increasing the influence of investors on the management of football.
UEFA has announced that national teams that are members of UEFA will not participate in FIFA tournaments until proposals related to private investors are completely withdrawn and a guarantee is provided that FIFA will not transfer the management of the organization or its competitions to private structures in the future.
According to the information, Infantino came up with the initiative to sell a part of the commercial rights of the tournament to private investors after the World Cup. For this purpose, the creation of a subsidiary company called “FIFA Forward Enterprise” (FFE) is envisaged. FIFA states that this will increase the income of member associations and contribute to the development of world football.
“The Times” wrote that the planned model could bring Infantino tens of millions of pounds in revenue. The new company is said to control the commercial rights of FIFA's main men's and women's tournaments, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup.
Along with UEFA, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also opposed Infantino's initiative. The organization's 41 member associations expressed their concern about the issue and did not accept the proposal.
It is noted that what happened may also affect Infantino's position in the FIFA presidential election to be held in March 2027. According to the press, UEFA is preparing to nominate a strong candidate against Infantino.
According to FIFA's plan, the first World Cup for football players under 15 should be held in Azerbaijan in October. The tournament is expected to be attended by national teams of 211 associations that are members of FIFA. If UEFA's boycott decision remains in force, the participation of European teams in this tournament will also be questioned.
