UEFA has launched an unusually violent attack against FIFA's leadership, despite the abandonment of the project aiming to cede a stake in the world governing body's competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. In a particularly scathing statement, the European organization denounces an agreement prepared in secret, hastily, and without genuine consultation. It is now demanding a thorough examination of the conditions under which this project was developed and is calling for those responsible to be identified.
FIFA's leadership directly implicated
UEFA believes the project was unanimously rejected by its member national associations, as well as by numerous federations and confederations worldwide. It also thanks the clubs, players, fans, and several political figures who publicly opposed the move. The statement directly targets Gianni Infantino, accusing him of failing to uphold his commitments to transparency and the proper use of FIFA funds. It emphasizes that the organization's reserves now exceed $5 billion and calls for a greater portion of these funds to be allocated to the development of grassroots football.
"The work of rebuilding trust has only just begun."
UEFA has announced that it will work with its member associations, other confederations, and stakeholders in global football to understand how such a project could have been conceived. It also intends to propose a new allocation of financial resources within the FIFA Forward program. The European organization concludes that abandoning the project is a victory for football, but warns that the break with FIFA's current leadership is profound. Here is the full text of its statement.
Here is the full UEFA statement :
"UEFA welcomes FIFA's withdrawal of its plan to sell a stake in the World Cup.
UEFA welcomes FIFA's decision to withdraw its plan to sell a stake in its competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
This proposal was unanimously rejected by the national associations that are members of UEFA, as well as by many other federations and confederations of all sizes around the world, whose mission is to protect football.
UEFA thanks all the fans, leagues, clubs, players, personalities, associations and confederations who opposed this project, as well as the many Prime Ministers, Heads of State and commentators who demonstrated to the FIFA President that football is not for sale.
We can no longer continue with secret projects, rushed through by faceless individuals, and whose benefits for football are highly questionable. We must identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions.
It is normal that, in the coming days and weeks, UEFA will work with its member associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to understand how this could have happened and to develop a plan to ensure that it cannot happen again.
This review must be thorough and fundamental. No option should be ruled out. The current FIFA leadership has not only lost the confidence of UEFA, but also that of many other members of the football family.
When Gianni Infantino sought the confidence and votes of FIFA's member associations to be elected president in 2016, he stated:
“Of course, we must be transparent. That’s what I’ve been for the last fifteen years of my life at UEFA. You will have to play a role every day in the life of FIFA.”
"FIFA's money is your money. It's not the FIFA president's money. It's your money. You are the national associations, and FIFA's money must be used for the development of football, and nothing else."
He failed on both of these promises. The opaque agreement, cobbled together behind the scenes, that he devised and tried to impose was anything but transparent.
And while FIFA's reserves now exceed $5 billion, it has also failed to use association money for the benefit of football.
UEFA will now begin working with its partners and football stakeholders worldwide to propose a new way of allocating resources within the existing FIFA Forward programme.
We need to start using some of this money, currently tied up in FIFA's bank accounts, to give grassroots football and our entire sport the boost they need in each of FIFA's 211 member countries. But we don't need to sell off the family jewels to do that.
This is a victory for the entire football community. But this must not be the end of the story. The project has been abandoned. The work of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.
