UEFA have sensationally elected to boycott FIFA’s competitions should Gianni Infantino proceed with his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, talkSPORT understands.
The bombshell call was made during an emergency meeting held on Thursday.
All 55 member nations of UEFA unanimously agreed on the boycott decision.
UEFA war with Infantino
UEFA’s stance leaves a significant dent in Infantino’s plot given tournaments played without European nations would leave it significantly short on quality.
Since 2002, a European nation has won the World Cup with the exception of Argentina in 2022.
UEFA was prompted to call the emergency meeting after Infantino ignited a political storm across the footballing landscape when it emerged he planned to sell stakes in the World Cup.
The proposal, titled the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would allow shares to be sold in tournaments like the World Cup and the Club World Cup.
Infantino informed the associations that made up FIFA they had until September 19 to make a decision on granting permission for investors to purchase stakes in the competition.
Unsurprisingly, the plan was met with widespread condemnation, as the FA, UEFA and CONCACAF all released strongly-worded statements in response.
Infantino also expressed his intention to run the FFE as commissioner, should he be re-elected as FIFA president.
However, re-election may not be straightforward.
Next man up
There were growing calls among UEFA federations towards the end of the World Cup to back a candidate to run against Infantino at the next FIFA presidential election.
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November 18 is the deadline to select a candidate for the elections, which will take place at March’s FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
One name who had significant support in UEFA circles was Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
However, those close to Al-Khelaifi insist he had no aspirations to stand, nor give up his roles at PSG and beIN Sports.
A spokesperson for Al-Khelaifi said: “Mr. Al-Khelaifi has absolutely no ambition, no intention and no interest in the FIFA role and all this media noise, and instead will continue to quietly and constructively support all the institutions of world and European football.”
Infantino was already under fire prior to his FFE plans due to his conduct at the World Cup.
The 56-year-old received a call from US President Donald Trump, who requested a review into USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s red card.
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Balogun had his suspension lifted shortly after Trump’s intervention, although Infantino insisted the decision was made independently by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
However, it later emerged the call to let Balogun play against Belgium in the round of 16 was solely made by FIFA Disciplinary Committee chairman Mohamed Al Kamali.
Following the tournament, the Norwegian FA announced it intended to lodge a formal complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee regarding Trump and his involvement in lifting Balogun’s suspension.
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