UEFA has expressed a lack of trust in FIFA President Gianni Infantino following his proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. This plan was abandoned after facing opposition from various soccer bodies, including Europe and North America. UEFA called for accountability, stating that no option should be excluded in assessing the situation.

Infantino’s proposal involved creating a $20 billion entity to manage the World Cup with private investor participation, but it faced increasing opposition since its announcement. UEFA asserted, “We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.” The European soccer governing body, led by Aleksander Čeferin, released a critical statement shortly after FIFA’s withdrawal of the plan.

UEFA criticized the secretive manner of the scheme’s development, emphasizing, “We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales.” It vowed to collaborate with associations and confederations to prevent similar occurrences.

UEFA’s membership, comprising 55 nations, resolved to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA events due to Infantino’s plan. Both North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation expressed their opposition.

Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to FIFA and ex-Goldman Sachs banker, resigned from his position and urged FIFA’s leadership to publicly oppose the plan. “I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” stated Cordeiro, soon after FIFA claimed, “Nobody is selling football.” FIFA’s COO Kevin Lamour later declared FIFA staff were misled by Infantino’s opaque proceedings.

Infantino proposed detaching FIFA’s commercial operations, including World Cups and Club World Cups, into a subsidiary valued at $20 billion, with 20% equity for private investors. The principal investor was identified by FIFA as a New York-based firm founded by Joshua Kushner, connected to U.S. political figures.