‘An act of coercion’: UEFA unleashes on FIFA, threatens to boycott World Cup over sell-off plans

European nations under the banner of UEFA are threatening to boycott future World Cups if FIFA follows through on plans to sell off commercial rights to private investors. UEFA said it “unanimously and unequivocally” rejects FIFA’s plans to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors. “No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive,” UEFA said in a statement. “Unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.”