Why Europe announced a boycott of FIFA tournaments: On July 28
Why Europe announced a boycott of FIFA tournaments: On July 28, FIFA presented a proposal to establish the FIFA Forward Enterprise company, and on July 30, UEFA and all 55 national associations within it announced a boycott of FIFA tournaments.
Consensus
- FIFA abandoned the project to sell a stake in its commercial rights to private investors.
- UEFA and all 55 of its member associations unanimously decided to boycott all FIFA tournaments if the project proceeded.
- The project involved creating a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage FIFA's commercial activities including World Cup rights, broadcasting, sponsorship, tickets, and licensing.
- The proposed sale would have involved up to 21% of FFE to private investors for $4.2 billion, with an initial valuation of $20 billion.
- The project was criticized for being developed without consultation with member associations and for potentially privatizing the World Cup.
- The decision to abandon the project followed a wave of criticism from UEFA, other confederations, and FIFA staff.
- The initiative was linked to President Gianni Infantino and was reportedly led by Thrive Eternal, a company associated with Joshua Kushner.
Points of divergence
- Infantino gave national associations until September 19 to approve the plan and offered $40 million in support, warning that lack of approval would reduce funding for development projects. — novaya_eu
- The UEFA boycott decision was not about football but about regulating FIFA's internal governance, according to Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset. — tass_agency
- The FFE was described as a personal project of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with the goal of increasing annual payments to national associations from $8 million to $20 million in the first cycle. — kommersant
- The UEFA boycott decision was made unanimously at an emergency online meeting on July 30. — echoonline_news
- FIFA's operational director Kevin Laumur called the reform a 'project of one person' and implied a call for Infantino's removal. — tg_theinsider
Coverage (20 sources)
- FIFA, Kushner's company, and the threat of boycott: sale of part of the World Cup business has been canceled — The Insider
- ⚽️ European Union of Football Associations (UEFA) decided to boycott competitions under the auspices of the International Federation of Foot… — Радио Свобода
- UEFA's decision to boycott FIFA tournaments is not about football but about regulating the organization's activities, said the general secretary of the Council of Europe... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Football for sale. Why Europe declared a boycott of FIFA tournaments — ЭХО / Новости
- The World Cup is not for sale. UEFA announced a boycott of FIFA tournaments due to Infantino's plans to sell a share of rights to the World Cup... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA competitions — Коммерсантъ
- European football teams threaten to boycott the 2030 World Cup over FIFA's plans to sell part of rights to Trump family — Новая газета Европа
- UEFA threatens to boycott all FIFA tournaments in case of privatization of the World Cup — DW Главное
- All UEFA members want to boycott the 2030 FIFA World Cup — Ведомости
- ⚽️ European Union of Football Associations (UEFA) decided to boycott competitions under the auspices of the International Federation of Foot… — Радио Свобода
- UEFA Declares Boycott of FIFA Tournaments Over Infantino Plans to Sell World Cup Share — Вечерняя Москва
- European teams will refuse to participate in the World Cup and other FIFA events if the organization sells its assets to private investors — Дождь
- World Championship is not for sale. UEFA announced a boycott of FIFA tournaments over Infantino's plans to sell rights to the champion... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- All European national teams threatened to boycott the 2030 World Cup — due to FIFA's plans to sell part of the tournament rights to private investors — Meduza
- UEFA and its 55 football associations voted for a boycott of World Cups in case FIFA sells shares to private investors... — The Insider
- European national teams decided to boycott the World Cup if FIFA does not abandon the plan to sell part of its assets to private investors and... — ЭХО / Новости
- European national teams will refuse to participate in the World Cup and other FIFA events if the organization decides to sell part of its assets... — Дождь (Telegram)
- The soul of football is not for sale. UEFA will hold an emergency meeting in connection with FIFA's plans to sell part of the rights to the World Cup to private... — BBC News Русская служба
- UEFA announced boycott of FIFA tournaments due to plans for rights to the World Cup — Вести
- World Championship without Europe and Russia: UEFA goes against Infantino — Фонтанка
Key entities
- FIFA
- UEFA
- Infantino
- FIFA
- UEFA
- Europe
- Russia
- The Times
- Russian Football Union
- Vsevolod Kolosov
- International Federation of Football Associations
- Moscow
- Union of European Football Associations
- Alen Barse
More on Infantino
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