UEFA has declared that it no longer has confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino following the collapse of his controversial proposal to sell stakes in the commercial operations of the FIFA World Cup to private equity investors.
In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday, European football’s governing body said those responsible for the proposal must be held accountable, adding that a full review would be pursued to determine how the plan progressed.
“We must identify those responsible and hold them to account. No option should be off the table. The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said.
The statement came just hours after FIFA officially abandoned the proposal, which would have created a $20 billion company to manage the World Cup with private investment.
UEFA criticised the manner in which the project was developed, describing it as a secretive process that lacked transparency.
“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,” the organisation said.
UEFA added that it would work closely with its member associations and other football confederations in the coming weeks to examine how the proposal emerged and ensure a similar situation does not happen again.
The proposed restructuring had triggered widespread opposition across world football. UEFA’s 55 member associations had earlier agreed to boycott the FIFA World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the proposal moved forward. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also publicly opposed the plan.
Pressure on FIFA intensified after Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino’s senior advisers and FIFA’s representative on the White House World Cup Task Force, resigned in protest.
“I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said after stepping down.
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour also criticised the proposal, saying staff members had been kept in the dark during its development and insisting the project should not proceed.
The growing backlash ultimately forced FIFA to withdraw the plan, with Infantino confirming that the proposal would no longer move forward after consultations with stakeholders.
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