“UEFA and its federations will not participate in competitions organized by FIFA. We unanimously and unequivocally reject the plan to transfer the rights of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.” UEFA and its 55 associations made this strong decision this afternoon in a telematic meeting. A real challenge to try to stop the plans of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to privatize part of FIFA by creating a corporate subsidiary to commercialize its competitions. From the very beginning, UEFA has opposed the plan and describes it as “crossing a red line.”
In a harsh text, UEFA is firm. “The World Cup is not for sale. It has been cultivated by generations of players, teams, and fans around the world. It is one of the great legacies of sport,” it adds. And it goes even further. “It represents an abdication by FIFA as the custodian of world football.”
The organization chaired by Aleksander Ceferin considers that the deadline given by FIFA to accept or reject the proposal, 53 days, is an ultimatum that is unacceptable. “It is not a democratic decision by FIFA, but intimidation and coercion,” says UEFA. Thus, the governing body of European football concludes: “Our position is clear. We will not participate in any competition organized by FIFA while the plan is not completely abandoned.”
“The World Cup is not for sale, FIFA is abdicating its role as custodian of football,” says UEFA
In recent hours, Infantino has tried to seduce the federations by explaining more details of his project. He is considered a snake charmer. Used to making a name for himself by doing favors, he loves face-to-face encounters and his command of languages, like a Pope, allows him to try to sell his ideas at all costs. The latest, to partially privatize FIFA’s business with its competitions, especially the World Cup, has raised much of the football world in arms, but he insists it is not an obligation or imposition but a proposal that will be submitted to a democratic process. However, he has given the 211 federations that make up FIFA a 53-day deadline to respond. He promises them a flood of millions of dollars. Up to 86 billion over a period extending to 2038.
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Infantino says Federation revenues would multiply
“Before choosing me, you could expect to receive $250,000 a year or three million over three cycles – 12 years. Now with FIFA Forward Enterprise (the subsidiary he wants to create and partially privatize) you will receive up to 86 million in the same period, an increase of almost 2,800%, and for the first time FIFA will commercialize its events,” he said in a message to all associated federations. Infantino highlighted that JP Morgan, also involved in the project, along with the firm Thrive Eternal (founded by the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law), estimates the total value of FIFA Forward Enterprise at $20 billion and emphasized his desire that “football grows inclusively, that every country shares it, and that every federation can decide with the same opportunity to progress where there is talent.” “Football is the most popular sport in the world, some parts of our game have turned it into a notable commercial value. Our job is to ensure that the rest of the football world does not fall behind and grows with it. There is real commercial value in our game that we are not yet capturing, and unlocking it requires a dedicated business,” he added. His goal is to have more teams “like Cape Verde,” which was one of the revelations of the World Cup. Likewise, he posted on his website a package of questions and answers about the subsidiary he wants to create, insisting that he would only cede a minority stake to investors and that FIFA would maintain control of the company.
Before UEFA met, the president of the Asian Confederation, Salman bin Ebrahim Al Jalifa, reacted with a letter, considering it “unacceptable” that Infantino pushed this plan without consulting the federations first. The matter goes beyond football, and the European Commission has promised to monitor Infantino’s intentions in case the plan violates community competition rules.
A real mess with the next World Cup having to be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
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