UEFA has welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon plans to sell a stake in its competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, but says the episode has exposed a serious loss of trust in the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
In a statement, UEFA called FIFA’s decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal “a victory for the whole game” after it was rejected by UEFA’s 55 member associations and many other national associations and confederations.
UEFA said the football community had united against what it saw as an attempt to privatize FIFA’s competitions.
“Football is not for sale,” the statement said, thanking fans, leagues, clubs, players, national associations, confederations, political leaders and commentators who opposed the plan.
The European governing body also criticised how the proposal was developed, describing it as a “secret scheme” rushed through by “faceless individuals.” It called for those responsible to be identified and held accountable. UEFA also questioned Infantino’s leadership, saying he had failed to deliver on the transparency and good governance he promised when he became FIFA president in 2016.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” the statement said.
UEFA argued that FIFA, with reserves of more than US$5 billion, should fund football development from its own resources rather than seek private investment.
It said it would work with member associations, other confederations and stakeholders on a new approach to distributing development funding through the existing FIFA Forward programme, with investment focused on grassroots football and projects across FIFA’s 211 member associations.
While welcoming FIFA’s decision to withdraw the proposal, UEFA said restoring confidence in world football’s governing body must now be the priority.
UEFA welcomes FIFA’s withdrawal of plans to sell a stake in the World Cup
— UEFA (@UEFA) August 1, 2026
