The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) held an emergency online meeting of its 55 national associations to coordinate a response to FIFA's proposal to involve private capital in World Cup commercial activities.
The proposed boycott would cover all FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup. The implementation of the boycott will become clear by October, when the decisive women's World Cup qualifier play-offs take place.
UEFA said it learned that FIFA set a deadline for associations to support the proposals or the one-time payment offer will be withdrawn. FIFA asked its 211 member associations to respond to the proposal by September 19.
The proposal includes a one-time payment of $20 million immediately, with a total of $40 million, to national associations. FIFA plans to offer up to a 20% minority stake to foreign investors.
The private investment fund Thrive Capital, led by Joshua Kushner, is part of the proposal. FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to create a company called FIFA Forward Enterprise to organize World Cups and the Club World Cup.
According to The Times, FIFA's proposal would increase the football development budget by $20 billion (approximately €18 billion) and could bring FIFA President Gianni Infantino tens of millions of euros.
CONCACAF member associations were scheduled to meet on Thursday evening to discuss the FIFA proposal. CONCACAF criticized the way FIFA presented the radical proposal. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was critical, accusing FIFA of undermining football. In contrast, CONMEBOL and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) responded positively to the proposal.
The UEFA meeting aimed to align a common position among its 55 member associations. A boycott of the 2030 World Cup was mentioned as a radical possibility, although considered unlikely.