All 55 of Uefa's member associations have voted to boycott the World Cup if Fifa goes ahead with its plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.
The announcement was made on Thursday after European football's governing body held an emergency meeting which means all of Fifa's competitions – including the men's and women's World Cups and Club World Cup – will be boycotted.
Uefa had made clear its opposition to the plans of Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who has given the global organisation's 211 member federations until September 19 to support the proposal if they wanted to access an initial $20 million, with a further $20m also on the table further down the line.
Fifa had announced on Tuesday that it planned a $20 billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and its other events and will offer stakes of up to 20 per cent in it to external investors and bring in $4.2bn. This would be immediately distributed to Fifa's members through the Fast-Forward Programme.
On Wednesday, Uefa released statement saying Fifa were using football “to enrich themselves and their friends” and 24 hours later they have made the strength of their protest even more clear.
“Uefa and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” it said in a lengthy statement that would accuse Ffia of “governance by intimidation”.
“Uefa and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.
“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.
“As a result of today’s discussion, no Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that Fifa will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.
“There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.
“Some things are simply too important to sell. The Fifa World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”
Infantino had earlier defended the plan, describing it as a proposal but “not an obligation” after being on the receiving end of widespread criticism.
“It’s part of a democratic process – a consultation process – and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation, and, as I said, it kicks off the consultation process,” he said in a video released by Fifa.
