UEFA with fiery response to Infantino's World Cup plan: 'The soul of football is not FIFA's to sell'

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FT Desk

UEFA have slammed Gianni Infantino's alleged plan to sell World Cup shares to private investors.

On Tuesday, the Times reported Infantino's potential proposals.

The plans would see FIFA create a standalone commercial entity responsible for managing its biggest competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup. There are concerns that introducing outside investment could create demands for the tournaments to grow even larger or be held more often than their current four-year schedule.

The ownership structure under discussion would leave FIFA with a controlling interest in the company, while private investors would initially be able to acquire up to a 30% stake. The remaining 20% would be distributed equally among FIFA's 211 member associations, with each federation free to keep its shares or sell them.

Each member association's allocation could be worth around $20 million (£15 million), offering national federations a significant potential source of income if they chose to cash in their stake.

Sources also claim that Infantino is being lined up to become commissioner of the new company after completing his final term as FIFA president. He is expected to remain in office until 2031, with no opposition standing against him for re-election at the moment.

The salary for Infantino's chief executive role has not been confirmed but it could be akin to that of the NFL commissioner, who makes $64m a year, which is 10 times what he earns at FIFA currently.

Not long after the Times article was published, UEFA, the governing body of European football, came out with a hugely critical statement of FIFA and Infantino.

“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross," the statement read.

"UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.

"The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade - especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”

UEFA have put themselves in a war with FIFA recently.

It started with the decision to announce more affordable match tickets for the 2028 European Championships than the vast sums FIFA were charging for the 2026 World Cup.

Then, UEFA came out swinging in a statement condemning FIFA's part in the Folarin Balogun affair, which saw the player's suspension overturned following a request from United States President Donald Trump.

UEFA are also working tirelessly behind the scenes to try and find a candidate to take on Infantino for the FIFA Presidency.

According to investigative journalist Romain Molina, the idea of challenging Infantino at next year's FIFA presidential election has been floated.

He claims that "several people on the UEFA board have been working behind the scenes for some time to put a candidate forward."

The main grievance, the journalist writes, is Infantino's currying favour with Trump.