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UEFA has welcomed FIFA's decision to abandon plans to sell a stake in its competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, to private investors, describing the move as a victory for football while calling for sweeping reforms to restore trust in world football's governing body.
The decision has drawn support from across the global game, with the English Football Association, European Leagues and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) all backing FIFA's withdrawal of the proposal while calling for greater transparency, consultation and accountability in football governance.
In a strongly worded statement, UEFA said the proposal had been unanimously rejected by its 55 member associations and opposed by many other national federations and continental confederations around the world. The European governing body also thanked supporters, domestic leagues, clubs, players, governments and football stakeholders who publicly opposed the plan.
UEFA argued that football's flagship competitions should not be opened to private ownership and criticised what it described as a lack of transparency surrounding the proposal.
The organisation said football could no longer tolerate "secret schemes" developed behind closed doors and called for those responsible for the proposal to be identified and held accountable. UEFA confirmed it will work alongside its member associations and other confederations in the coming weeks to examine how the proposal progressed and develop safeguards to prevent similar initiatives from emerging in the future.
The statement also represented one of UEFA's strongest public criticisms of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. UEFA claimed the current FIFA leadership had lost the confidence of the European governing body and many other members of the global football community.
Referencing promises made by Infantino during his successful campaign for the FIFA presidency in 2016, UEFA accused him of failing to uphold commitments on transparency and the responsible use of FIFA's financial resources. The organisation criticised the abandoned investment proposal as an opaque process and argued that FIFA's substantial financial reserves, which it said exceed $5 billion, should instead be invested directly into football's development.
Rather than seeking outside investment, UEFA called for greater use of FIFA's existing FIFA Forward programme, saying it intends to work with stakeholders across the game to develop proposals that would channel more of FIFA's reserves into grassroots football and national associations across all 211 FIFA member nations.
The English Football Association also endorsed UEFA's position following FIFA's decision to withdraw the proposal. An FA spokesperson said the governing body "fully support[s] UEFA's position" and called for "a full and robust review of FIFA's leadership and governance" to ensure the global game is run transparently, benefits all 211 member associations and remains focused on the long-term stewardship of football.
European Leagues had also emerged as one of the proposal's most vocal opponents before FIFA abandoned the plan. Following a board meeting on 29 July, the organisation described the prospect of seeking private investment in a new FIFA commercial subsidiary as a "reckless and divisive" move, arguing that the World Cup should not be treated as a private equity asset.
The organisation said the tournament's value is created collectively by domestic leagues, clubs, players and supporters, all of whom would have been excluded from decisions over the proposal. It warned that football's commercial ambitions should strengthen, rather than undermine, the sport's traditional pyramid structure and the balance between domestic and international competitions.
European Leagues also linked the proposal to broader concerns over FIFA's governance, saying it reflected a long-term pattern of unilateral decision-making. The organisation pointed to its ongoing complaint before the European Commission, which alleges FIFA has abused its dominant position through decisions relating to the international match calendar that it says breach European competition law.
It added that major decisions affecting competitions and scheduling should only be made through transparent, accountable and inclusive processes involving all affected stakeholders, citing the Court of Justice of the European Union's 2023 Super League ruling. European Leagues said it would continue working alongside UEFA and expressed confidence that national associations around the world would closely scrutinise any similar proposals in the future.
European Leagues president Claudius Schäfer warned that selling stakes in the World Cup would hand private investors "a permanent claim on football tomorrow" and risk undermining the foundations on which the sport has been built. He urged football's leaders to unite in protecting the game's long-term sustainability for future generations of players and supporters.
The Asian Football Confederation also welcomed FIFA's decision to withdraw the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise. AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the episode highlighted the importance of proper consultation on any initiative capable of reshaping global football.
Shaikh Salman said future proposals should be presented to the continental confederations, FIFA Council, member associations and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner. He stressed that the future of world football must be guided through collective dialogue, respect for established governance structures and consultation across the game.
The AFC President added that the confederation remains ready to support initiatives that strengthen the unity of football's global community, contribute to the sport's continued development and deliver benefits to all stakeholders. He also praised the AFC's member associations for their solidarity throughout the process, thanking them for entrusting the confederation to represent their concerns and pledging that the AFC would continue acting in their best interests.
UEFA said football does not need to "sell off the family silver" to fund development and insisted that existing resources should instead be used to strengthen the sport worldwide.
While celebrating FIFA's decision to withdraw the proposal, UEFA stressed that the issue should not be considered closed. With governing bodies from Europe and Asia, alongside domestic leagues and national associations, all calling for greater transparency and consultation, pressure is now mounting on FIFA to rebuild trust and demonstrate that future decisions affecting the global game will be made through a more open and inclusive governance process.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels / Anirban Das
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