3 min readUpdated: Aug 1, 2026 07:09 PM IST
UEFA has said that while it welcomes FIFA’s decision to withdraw its plan to sell a stake in the World Cup and other competitions, it has lost all confidence in the current leadership led by Gianni Infantino. It has also said that it will meet with other confederations to “reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again”.
“No option should be off the table,” said the UEFA in a strongly worded statement. “We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account,” it said.
UEFA recalled Infantino’s statement when he was running for the position in 2016, in which he had highlighted the need for transparency and utilisation of associations’ money for the benefit of the sport. “On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent. And with reserves standing at over $5bn, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game,” it said.
“This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.”
UEFA’s statement came hours after FIFA said that it was withdrawing its plan to sell stakes in its tournament to private equity, a deal that Infantino personally would have reportedly earned millions from. The news broken by The Times and hours later, UEFA issued a stern statement stating that this “crossed a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”. The development came shortly after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in which Infantino was roundly criticised for his proximity to US President Donald Trump, which even led to the latter admitting that he called the former to reverse a suspension for an American player during the tournament.
Shortly thereafter, UEFA announced that it had decided to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the project must not continue.
Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA’s commercial businesses – including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women – into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors. The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
