Michel Platini congratulated Aleksander Ceferin after UEFA World Cup boycott threat | OneFootball

Michel Platini has phoned Aleksander Ceferin to congratulate him after UEFA threatened to boycott the World Cup over FIFA’s commercial plans.

According to L'Équipe, the former UEFA president, who led the body from 2007 to 2015, contacted the Slovenian to commend the unanimous stance taken by UEFA and its 55 member associations.

The dispute centres on Gianni Infantino’s proposal to create a commercial vehicle, FIFA Forward Enterprise, open to private investors, a structure that could sell stakes in the World Cup.

A 30 July statement following Thursday’s talks set out that no teams from UEFA member associations would enter FIFA competitions while the plan remains. It insisted the proposal must be dropped entirely and that guarantees be given that FIFA governance and competitions will never be opened to private interests, adding that some things are too important to be sold and that the World Cup forms part of football’s heritage, and stressing that as long as Europe can make its voice heard football is not for sale.

Platini, 71, has kept publicly silent despite intense media interest, though he is following developments closely. He is also in open conflict with Infantino, formerly his right-hand at UEFA, accusing him of derailing his 2015 push for the FIFA presidency after the onset of FIFAgate.

Source: L'Équipe