FIFA backtracks and scraps plan to sell shares, Club World Cup hit | OneFootball

UEFA had declared a boycott of FIFA over the decision

After heavy pressure, FIFA abandoned the idea of selling part of the World Cup’s shares to private investors. Because of the proposal, UEFA, which represents European clubs, had even stated that it would no longer take part in the organization’s tournaments. In other words, the 2029 Club World Cup, for which Flamengo has already qualified, would not have featured the richest teams in the world.

“As we said from the beginning, this would only be done if the majority of FIFA’s Member Associations supported it, and always subject to a consultation process with them, with the FIFA Council, the Confederations, and stakeholders in general,” says part of the statement released by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“Having listened carefully to all opinions, it became clear that the project created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, no longer serve the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he added.

HOW WOULD THIS IMPACT FLAMENGO?

Flamengo dreams of playing in the Intercontinental at the end of the year. To do so, it needs to win the 2026 Copa Libertadores. The continental champion could face PSG (France), the European champion, in December. However, with UEFA’s boycott, the French side would not play in the tournament. Now, with FIFA backing down, that refusal to take part in the competitions will not happen. The same applies to the 2029 Club World Cup, for which Mengão has already qualified.

WHAT DID FIFA WANT TO DO?

Last Tuesday (28), FIFA announced that it wanted to create a company to sell minority stakes tied to the organization of the competitions. The expectation was to raise US$4.2 billion (R$21.5 billion). However, the plan would need approval from the 211 associations that are part of the organization, but the majority opposed it, with public demonstrations. UEFA and Concacaf were the two with the strongest criticism.

Conmebol, from South America, issued a statement in a milder tone than the two mentioned above, but without mentioning a boycott. Finally, Africa, Oceania, and Asia did not speak out publicly, but scheduled meetings with allies.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— Football is grateful. Can you imagine a Club World Cup without the Europeans? And the men’s and women’s World Cups without teams from the continent? It’s a good thing FIFA backed down. Football can breathe —, opined journalist Pedro Paulo Catonho of Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.