MOSCOW, July 29 (HS/RIA Novosti) - UEFA nations will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of boycotting the World Cup over FIFA’s plans to create a new commercial company with external investment, Sky News reported, citing a source.
On Tuesday, The Times reported that FIFA plans to sell approximately 20% of the shares in the new entity to private investors, which will handle the organization's media and commercial rights. FIFA later confirmed this information on its official website. UEFA issued a statement criticizing FIFA's plans and stressing that none of us are the owners of football.
UEFA’s opposition may be mitigated by the fact that it has 55 member associations, while FIFA needs support from a majority of the 211 associations, many of which depend on funding from the organization, the report said on Tuesday.
However, FIFA relies on European teams for the success of the World Cup, which gives UEFA leverage, the report noted.
Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine. The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone's to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on X.
In 2021, FIFA abandoned the idea of holding World Cups every two years when UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated that European teams would then refuse to participate.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar