UEFA to boycott FIFA tournaments over investor plan

UEFA's member federations held an emergency online meeting on Thursday and agreed to boycott all competitions organized by FIFA. The decision is a protest against FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial operations to private equity investors.

Infantino's plan involves spinning off FIFA's commercial activities into a $20 billion operation, with 20% owned by private investors. The core investor is said to be a New York investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner. To persuade FIFA's 211 member associations to support the plan, Infantino has offered each $20 million, with a mid-September deadline for acceptance.

UEFA called the urgent meeting to coordinate a response to the proposal. In a statement, the European football body said its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions. The next FIFA event in Europe is the Women's Under-20 World Cup, hosted by Poland starting September 5. A boycott could have significant consequences for that tournament.

The news was reported by AFP and AP.