UEFA World Cup boycott threat targets FIFA stake sale plan
UEFA says its members will boycott the World Cup unless FIFA drops a plan to sell minority stakes in tournament rights.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
UEFA threatened a World Cup boycott on Thursday unless FIFA drops a plan to sell minority stakes tied to the commercial rights for its tournaments. The move matters because Europe’s 55 national associations include many of the sport’s biggest teams and would put immediate pressure on FIFA’s effort to raise new money from private investors.
UEFA said its members would stay away from both the men’s and women’s World Cup if FIFA proceeds. The European governing body framed the proposal as a threat to control of the sport’s leading competition, saying the World Cup should remain in football’s hands.
Why is UEFA threatening a World Cup boycott?
The clash centers on FIFA’s proposal to set up a company that would manage commercial rights across its competitions, including the World Cup. Under the plan, FIFA would sell minority stakes in that business to outside investors.
A minority stake means an investor owns less than half of a business, but still has a financial interest in its performance. UEFA’s objection is that even limited outside ownership could create pressure to shape tournament schedules, formats and other decisions around investor returns.
FIFA has defended the proposal by saying it would keep all decision-making authority over its tournaments. FIFA has also said the sale would involve only part of the commercial venture, not control of the competitions themselves.
UEFA challenged that distinction in a statement, arguing that investor ownership in FIFA competitions would permanently change the incentives around international football. The group said commercial return and shareholder expectations would become a continuing influence on decisions about the game.
Who else has responded to FIFA’s plan?
England’s Football Association backed UEFA’s position, saying it stood with its European counterparts and supported the collective view. The FA is one of the national bodies under UEFA’s umbrella.
Concacaf, the governing body for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, called an emergency meeting of its 41 member associations for Thursday to discuss FIFA’s proposal. Concacaf said it was concerned about what it described as a lack of due process and said decisions affecting football should be guided by good governance, strong procedures and long-term stewardship.
One potential investor identified in the proposal is a firm run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. FIFA’s plan has drawn anger across European soccer bodies since it was unveiled this week.
What World Cup would be affected?
The dispute comes ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will mark 100 years since the first tournament was held in Uruguay in 1930. The 2030 event is set to be played mainly in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with centenary matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
A European boycott would be an extraordinary challenge to one of the world’s most watched sporting events. UEFA’s threat also raises the stakes for FIFA as it tries to win support for a commercial restructuring that it says would leave tournament control in its hands.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.