UEFA boycotts FIFA competitions over Gianni Infantino’s $20 billion plan to sell World Cup stakes

The next FIFA competition is in Europe, the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland beginning Sept. 5.

European nations agreed Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions to protest Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in soccer’s biggest tournament to private equity investors. The North American soccer body rejected his plan later the same day.

“UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,” the European soccer body said after an urgent online meeting of its 55 member nations.

FIFA issued a statement early Friday saying that “nobody is selling football” and that it plans to continue the consultation process. But it appeared to back off from establishing the public equity move — what it calls the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — if member countries do not agree.

“FIFA acknowledges and respects feedback and concern aired in public,” it said, while blaming “erroneous reporting in the media” for disruptions to its planned consultation with member associations.

But it said that without the support of FIFA’s 211 member associations, “FIFA’s commercial activities would remain unchanged. FFE would not be established.”