UEFA and its 55 member associations have unanimously rejected FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.
UEFA said the World Cup was not an investment product but a global football heritage built by players, national teams and supporters across generations.
The European football body said FIFA had prepared the proposal secretly and had not held meaningful consultations with member associations before moving it towards approval.
UEFA said the plan was a serious threat to football governance and warned that private investors could change the sport permanently.
It said commercial interests could take priority over the needs of fans, national associations, leagues, clubs and players if investors gained control of football competitions.
UEFA added that football’s future could not be placed under financial pressure and that Europe would never accept a private ownership model for the sport.
The body said European national teams would not take part in FIFA competitions if the proposals remained in place.
UEFA said the boycott would continue until the proposals were completely withdrawn and FIFA provided guarantees that its competitions would never be opened to private ownership.
UEFA said the World Cup belonged to football and could not be sold to investors.
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