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A statement that defuses the crisis
In an unprecedented escalation that could shake the future of world football, the European Football Association (Uefa) has taken a firm stand on the plans of the International Football Federation (FIFA), threatening to boycott all its tournaments, which could plunge the game into its worst institutional crisis in its history.
UEFA issued an official statement on behalf of its continental confederation and all 55 member national associations confirming its firm and unanimous rejection of FIFA’s proposal to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors.
The statement emphasized that the World Cup is “not for sale” given that the tournament represents a global sporting legacy built on generations of players, teams and fans, and cannot be turned into an investment product or given away to investors.
UEFA accused the international federation of preparing the draft in complete secrecy and pushing for its approval without real consultation with the authorities responsible for governing the game, describing it as a “profound failure of leadership” and “an abdication of FIFA’s responsibility as the guardian of world football”.
The statement said that the national federations were faced with a forced choice to accept the transfer of control of football’s biggest tournaments to investors or suffer the consequences, considering what was happening was “not a democratic decision, but an administration based on intimidation and coercion”.
UEFA has stressed that the entry of investors into the ownership of FIFA tournaments will change football forever, as decisions on international dates, competition systems and the future of the game will be driven by the interests of shareholders and profit, rather than what serves football.
The European Union concluded its statement by announcing an unprecedented position, stressing that no UEFA-affiliated team will participate in any FIFA-organized tournament while this proposal is in place, unless it is fully withdrawn, while providing binding guarantees that the door to private ownership of FIFA tournaments will not be opened in the future.
The statement ended with a strongly worded message that said: “The World Cup belongs to football and always will be. As long as Europe has its say, the World Cup will not be sold.”
