FA 'deeply concerned' over FIFA plan to sell stakes; UEFA to hold emergency meeting

The Football Association (FA) has voiced 'deep concern' over FIFA's plan to sell stakes in its major competitions, including the World Cup. The proposal came to light on Tuesday after reports in the Financial Times and The Times. FIFA intends to create a commercial subsidiary that would run its main events, allowing external investors to buy shares.

An FA spokeswoman stated that the association was completely unaware of the proposal and lacks substantive details. 'Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved,' she said. The FA vowed to comment further once FIFA shares the plan in a full and transparent manner.

In response, UEFA has called an emergency meeting of its 55 member associations, to be held virtually this week, with the aim of formulating a plan of action. Given the strength of feeling, the possibility of a boycott is likely to be raised. Although UEFA accounts for only a quarter of FIFA's 211 national members, its members include most of the world's most successful teams. At the World Cup this summer, six of the eight quarter-finalists – including eventual winners Spain – were European.

FIFA argues that the proposal is necessary to grow the game globally. However, critics fear it could lead to more frequent and expanded competitions, such as the men's and women's World Cup and the Club World Cup, putting further strain on an already congested football calendar.

A senior source within English football told BBC Sport that the threat posed by FIFA's plan is among the biggest the game has faced, comparable to the European Super League controversy in 2021, which collapsed within 48 hours. It is considered unlikely that FIFA will back down similarly. FIFA has said its plan would extend global development funding to $10 billion and offer each of its 211 member associations up to $20 million in one-off capital.

This latest escalation exacerbates the already strained relationship between FIFA and UEFA. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted this month's World Cup final in protest at several controversial moves, including U.S. President Donald Trump's intervention to turn USA forward Folarin Balogun's one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 match against Belgium.