European countries have agreed to boycott all FIFA competitions if FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushes forward with his proposals to sell chunks of the World Cup to US-based private investment.
UEFA said its 55 member nations would boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, as long as the proposal remains active.
The decision means that major nations including Germany, France, England and world champions Spain would not participate in the men’s or women’s World Cups.
“No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership,” UEFA said in a statement.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent,” UEFA added.
“No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”
The 41-member Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football said it had also rejected the proposal.
Infantino revealed plans earlier this week for the sale of a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) that would raise $20 billion in exchange for influence over future World Cups, including broadcasting and commercial deals linked to the tournament.
The effort is being bankrolled by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
The proposal would trigger over $80 million in payouts to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations between now and 2037. Infantino had set a Sept. 19 deadline for associations to accept the plan, with a majority vote needed for it to be implemented.