European football has entered into open conflict with the International Football Federation FIFA. All 55 UEFA member associations, including the Football Association of the Czech Republic, have agreed to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if world football's governing body carries out its plan to transfer a portion of commercial rights to a company with private investors.
According to UEFA, the proposed transaction could fundamentally change the way the world's most important tournaments are managed. European associations are demanding that FIFA withdraw the project entirely and provide binding guarantees that it will not attempt to revive it in the future. UEFA has also called on other continental confederations to join its stance.
FIFA plans to establish a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would manage business activities associated with the World Cup and other competitions. The company's value is expected to reach approximately 20 billion dollars. A stake of up to twenty percent could be sold to private investors, with FIFA seeking to raise around 4.2 billion dollars in return.
Among the interested parties, according to foreign media, is the American investment firm Thrive Eternal, linked to entrepreneur Joshua Kushner. The bank JPMorgan is involved in preparing the project. FIFA claims it would retain a majority stake and decision-making powers regarding the rules and organisation of competitions, and is promising member associations significantly higher financial support.
European associations, however, are pointing to a lack of transparency, an absence of consultation, and the risk that the future of world tournaments will be shaped primarily by investors' commercial interests. They also fear an increase in the number of competitions, rising ticket prices, and the relocation of tournaments to the most lucrative markets.
The boycott threat is intended to cover all FIFA competitions — not only the men's World Cup, but also women's, youth, and other representative tournaments. Without European teams, world championships would lose a significant share of their sporting and commercial value.
A final decision on the formation of the new company has not yet been made. However, UEFA's unified stance represents the most serious opposition to the project so far and significantly increases pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
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