UEFA declares war on Infantino and withdraws from FIFA competitions

After Gianni Infantino defended his plan to sell a minority stake in the World Cup—both men's and women's—and the Club World Cup, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced that its 55 member associations will no longer participate in competitions organized by FIFA.

Following all the controversy that has arisen and all the criticism due to the lack of transparency and the absence of official communication, the FIFA president stepped forward to offer explanations regarding "a golden opportunity" for soccer that will feature "a democratic process," as he stated.

On Thursday, UEFA responded forcefully to FIFA, stating that "it will not lend legitimacy to this model" proposed by Infantino, since "the moment external investors acquire stakes in FIFA competitions, soccer will change forever."

"Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders," said the European confederation in a statement.

After discussing the matter, the 55 presidents of the federations that make up UEFA determined that none of their 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."

"Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale," UEFA declared.